Cartoons

“If You See Something…” A New Cartoon

It’s Wednesday, that means it’s time for me to share one of my own, fully completed cartoons with you. This one deals with the farce that is Homeland Security – at least it’s a farce to me. (Cartoon after jump.)

I ride the New York subways and the rickety New York-New Jersey PATH trains several times a week. Over the past few years I’ve seen more and more paranoia-inducing security posters popping up on trains and in station areas. My favorite of this new genre of useless public advertisements is the “If You See Something, Say Something” poster.

I searched this wacky call to action on Google, and found a link to a recent play that goes by the same name. It was written and performed by Mike Daisey. Here’s a few words about it from a NY Times review:

Mr. Daisey’s ambitious new show traces the philosophical roots of our metastasizing contemporary security apparatus back to the early days of the cold war, when the newly energized war machine was kept in a state of tense alert, the better to rout the Commies should they suddenly spring into action and swamp American shores.

It’s a smart, provocative thesis. Mr. Daisey argues persuasively that the heightened security measures enacted by the current administration echo the Red Scare tactics of the 1950s, when the fear of Communism caused some serious erosion of the ideals enshrined in the Constitution. It has certainly been suggested — and Mr. Daisey adds his voice to the chorus — that the “war on terror” is having side effects similarly toxic to the moral health of the nation.

Far from being in a state of tense alertness, I find that most people ignore these posters. Just what exactly should we be looking for? I see odd things and strange people all the time. If people actually were paying attention to these signs, the MTA and the Port Authority Police would be jammed with phone calls 24 hours a day.

I guess I just get a kick out of the moronic posters and mindless security checks that were thrust upon the public after cleanly shaven Jihadists flew commercial jets packed with innocent people and combustible jet fuel into the towers at the World Trade Center. We, as a society, are always reacting in pointless but dramatic ways AFTER disaster strikes. That tragic day has been a boon to anyone engaged in the Homeland Security charade – and that includes the creators of ridiculous slogans such as “If You See Something, Say Something”. Enjoy your ride on PATH

I will be posting a new Splendid Marbles Cartoon Caption Contest every Monday, brand new cartoons, with my very own captions (just like this one) every Wednesday at noon, and I’ll have a new piece of super fantastic commentary for you to read every Friday at noon.

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