Cartoon Fanned the Flames of Intolerance

I often find Michael Ramirez’s political cartoons to be juvenile, knee-jerk reactions to world events, but the Sept. 15 cartoon (Commentary) was especially reprehensible. Though civilized people were shocked and appalled to see the TV footage of a group of Palestinians celebrating the deaths of innocent American civilians in last week’s terrorist attacks, Ramirez’s cartoon, with its caricatured racial depictions of Arabs, was reminiscent of the anti-Semitic cartoons popular in Germany in the 1930s. We know the carnage that resulted from those dehumanizing depictions. I would encourage Ramirez and The Times to be more thoughtful and less reactive, lest their justifiable condemnation of people who cause or celebrate death instead ends up fanning the flames of racism and intolerance.

Tom Jessor

Los Angeles

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Ramirez appears to have confused cause and effect. After several months during which American aircraft have been used to destroy Palestinian lives and property, how can we be surprised to see some Palestinians cheer the use of American aircraft to destroy American lives and property? Although we have good intentions, the U.S. is not a neutral party in Middle Eastern negotiations, and we Americans are the only ones who don’t seem to realize that.

Curt Hagenlocher

Beverly Hills