I got a reply from the creator of Prickly City cartoon, Scott Stantis!!

[Jo March]

LOL! This was in reference to his lame cartoon where he showed us evil liberals and our pie-throwing ways.


Arnheim,

These issues ARE important. Pies in the face and petty theft are
important when the goal behind these actions is to silence an opposing
voice. Though you may not believe it, I would feel the same if it were
conservatives attempting to silence a liberal speaker. Though I may
not agree with most liberal politics, I do believe that dialogue
between liberals and conservatives (as well as that whole Free Speech
thing) are vital to this country. Thank you for writing and I hope you
continue to read and enjoy Prickly City.


Scott Stantis, creator
Prickly City


On 4/13/05, Arnheim wrote:

I read your comic strip (below). It's interesting that you think that these things are more egregious than Tom Delay doing everything but levelling outright threats at judges. It's also telling that you depict the liberal in the 2nd frame as a stereotypical hippy.

Regardless, I'm glad that you are on top of the important news instead of that pesky Iraq war or Delay's total lack of ethics and mounting criminal investigations. Yep, you are right there on the cutting edge of what is important in the world.

[BrklynLiberal]

1. So glad he has his priorities straight.....

"(as well as that whole Free Speech thing)"

Wonder if he has any comments on the filtering out of protesters at bush's so-called "town-meetings"?

[Jo March]

3. I wrote him back

If you were truly concerned about that "whole free speech thing," you would be drawing cartoons showing the travesty that is President Bush's travelling road show, otherwise known as "drumming up support for Social Security reform." You would be showing how taxpayers, who are footing the bills for these little town hall meetings, are not allowed in if they are Democrats. You would be drawing cartoons showing the hypocrisy of Bill Frist and his attempts to *now* stop fillibusters, which are the only way for the minority to defend against the majority's attempts to ram bad judges down our throats. You would be drawing cartoons showing the loyalty oaths that people had to sign before they were allowed to enter any of President Bush's campaign speeches.

Alas, you have to go for the pie-throwing. While it is vile and disgusting (and condemned by both sides), it pales in comparison to any of the items I have listed above. What this administration has done to stifle free speech far surpasses anything that Joe Schmoe can do with a pie.

You are partisan, sir, and only clamor for free speech when it suits the right. To pretend otherwise is dishonest.

[sendero]

6. Very well said..

... I wish I'd written that. :)

If that doesn't make him think, he hasn't a brain.

[Jo March]

9. I'm taking bets that he really doesn't give a crap

He's in the majority, remember? We are just sad little hippies who don't mean as much as the "real" Americans.

Grrr....

[sendero]

11. You are probably correct...

... but at least you made a successful effort. You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink.

[Jo March]

15. And I feel better.

I've been silent for too long.

After college, I really quit being politically active. I got married and had kids and worked on my career - all the while these types of thugs were slowly working to poison America.

Well, I have to speak up, even if it's a drop in the bucket. I have to. I can't stay silent any longer.

[jeanarrett]

14. Great reply! n/t

[GoddessOfGuinness]

2. Stantis does occasionally rag on the thugs, too...

But while it's amusing to see which side he's going to put down from day to day, I find his comic strip simply isn't funny. Reading Prickly City elicits one of two reactions:
A) Oh...Typical rethuglican BS.
or
B) Yeah...So what.

Aren't comics supposed to make you laugh?

[Jo March]

4. It was how he portrayed the liberal as a hippy that got me

It was obvious that he thinks we're all hippies who should just shut up and lie down while the nice bulldozer rolls over us.

[Hobarticus]

12. The use of a young girl in the strip is particularly ironic...

Being that she represents two of the right's favorite punching bags: she's a child, and she's a woman.

[Lone Pawn]

18. Unless I'm mistaken,

I've been told she's black, as well.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

20. Hard to tell, since he can't draw fer shit.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

17. The fact that it got you was probably the point.

After thinking about it a little, I realize Stantis isn't writing the strip to be humorous, unless you find any dig at the other side to be funny.

At this very moment, someone in freeperville, maybe even Stantis himself, is laughing at that particular comic strip and saying, "(insert redneck guffaws here)Yup, he really got them liburls (more guffaws and a belch and a fart or two)." How's that for stereotyping? :D

[Hobarticus]

5. The glaring difference between right- and left-leaning comics...

Right-leaning just aren't funny. Their righteous indignation doesn't go well with breakfast and coffee.

[Jo March]

7. That is very true. No one likes to be preached at early in the morning

before coffee!

[GoddessOfGuinness]

19. Wellll....I don't mind too much as long as

someone's preaching MY philosophy! ;-)

[Jo March]

8. DUer Mark E. Smith got the exact same letter

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x1747562

LOL! This guy is so not funny. I hope more people write him.

[Efilroft Sul]

22. I got the same astroturfed response as well

The turfed reply, with my original letter to him following:

These issues ARE important. Pies in the face and petty theft are
important when the goal behind these actions is to silence an opposing voice. Though you may not believe it, I would feel the same if it were conservatives attempting to silence a liberal speaker. Though I may not agree with most liberal politics, I do believe that dialogue between liberals and conservatives (as well as that whole Free Speech thing) are vital to this country. Thank you for writing and I hope you continue to read and enjoy Prickly City.

Scott Stantis, creator
Prickly City

***

Scott:
Pies flying into conservatives' faces in no way compares to liberals like the Kennedys and MLK Jr. being shot by right-wing assholes. Now *that* was intolerance.

Quit being a cheerleader for the pussies.

[Walt Starr]

10. Prick City is tripe

Why bother with such fishwrap?

[GoddessOfGuinness]

21. LOL!

Prick City... :rofl:

[seabeyond]

13. democrats have had freedom of speech denied them since 9/11

in different ways. if this man was being true to his words, he would have long recognized and battle against this for a lot of years. he did not. he is being dishonest

[Jo March]

16. Yes, we were told to "watch what we say"

Funny, but good old Scottie didn't see fit to mention that, did he?

[solinvictus]

23. He's also the editorial hack, I mean, cartoonist for the "News".

Stantis is the editorial cartoonist for the "Birmingham News". Some of his op-ed pieces are laughable, I remember one where he said that Germany should give Bavaria back to East Germany. Now, this was written, I think, about 1996-97. Stantis is a jerk.