The Ten-Year Rat Hunt

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India ink & ink wash on bristol board; colored using Photoshop CS5.

Let there be no doubt that Osama bin Laden, an odious man and perpetrator of equally odious deeds, got what he deserved. However, the administration of justice occasions solemn reflection, not the crass, reflexive adulation we have seen from some quarters. So let us observe what transpired with appropriate delight and a healthy dose of circumspection.

Uninformative Revelations

India ink and artists' watercolors on bristol board; reprints can be obtained here

This is pretty much what the recently leaked classified documents (the closest thing so far to the Pentagon Papers of this benighted overseas expedition) inform us vis-a-vis the prosecution of the war in Afghanistan.

Afghan National Army: Roll Call

India ink and watercolor lampblack wash on bristol board; reprints can be obtained here

Sad but true: The average Afghan government outfit is a ragtag retinue of, ahem, less-than-competent individuals. This is not to say that the entire A.N.A. is made of nothing but misfits, but the decent soldier is definitely still the exception, billions of dollars and ten years' worth of training notwithstanding.

Fare Thee Well!

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It's a shame that Obama's presidency (and several thousand American soldiers) will perish in vain on Afghanistan's plains, but I suppose that this is what happens when one acts in ignorance of history.

On an unrelated but nonetheless salient note, this will probably be Your Cartoonist's last update for quite some time. Having run unopposed for the office of the managing editor of the Chicago Maroon, he will now have to attend to a different set of duties. This does not mean that he will discontinue his hitherto perennial feature altogether, but regular updates will likely cease. At any rate, it's been a fun three years!

Cheerio!

Dubious Reassurance

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Did you perchance hear that our *ahem* stalwart ally, Pakistan, is having problems expunging the Taliban in the Swat valley and elsewhere? It's quite sad--Islamabad can't exert itself in the western hinterlands for want of military strength and political will; the inclement geography doesn't help. Anyhow, the latest campaign should prove an interesting spectacle.

A Return to Quaint and Queer Notions Heretofore Much Maligned

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Your Cartoonist welcomes the restoration of national principles, but is worried that President Hopeychange won't be able to resolve the legal conundrum created by a sudden surfeit of former detainees, which should make an interesting topic for a B.A. thesis.

On an unrelated note, Your Cartoonist has also re-discovered the joy of pencil drawings, and hereby pledges to devote equal time to both physical and digital media.

Destructive Destruction

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And we wonder why they loathe us. Enough said.

The [Searing Hot] Light

On a related note, huzzah for shameless right-wing 9-11 kitsch! Look upon it, sane citizen of the world, and weep.