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Cubanophobia.

Where was this published?

The sheer, baldfaced bigotry of the cartoon baffles me. Isn't Oliphant an enlightened liberal who should know better -- oh, wait -- his target is an anti-fidel, freedom-loving, and prosperous community that happens to vote for its interest, so it's OK. The liberal elite's view is that C-A's need to be subservient and grateful that we're allowed to be here. I'm sure they resent that we're not a monolithic voting bloc for the Dems and their liberal cronies. Hispanics (I hate that word but for lack of a better one) can't seem to win: We're resented if we sneak in illegally to work and don't become Americans and we're resented if we learn English, assimilate, succeed, and vote. Bigotry is allowed as long as the faces are white and the language is Spanish, it seems.

Like my late mother used to say, "Tienen envidia." They envy and resent our success -- economic and political. They resent that we don't need the US government for anything but to secure our liberty. They willfully ignore our history -- both here and in Cuba. They are implicit apologists for the castro regime with this cartoon.

I disagree with Henry's assertion in an earlier post. They can mock us all they want. We're made of stronger stuff and have truth on our side. We may not win every battle -- but that's not the point. The point is standing up and defending what we believe to be true regardless.

People, this is why when I write "FUCK THE LIBERALS" none of you should be offended by my language. Tolerant and compassionate liberals, my ass.

Not since history class studies of early 20th century anti-immigrant hysteria have I seen anything as hurtful and hateful as this. It is ugly and shameful and must be denounced as hate speech. Where is it published? (And people wonder why we blog.)

George ... I am never offended by that phrase. Keep writing it and saying it.

The part that gets me is the bit about demanding a chance to INTERFERE with the the '08 elections. Excuse me? If I am not mistaken this means that since we are the little brown people that don't bow and scrape blindly to the left like slaves our non-leftist votes are INTERFERENCE rather than legally and rightfully cast votes.

You know what, George ... I'm going to say it too FUCK THE LIBERALS!

I don't know guys - as stupidly ignorant and offensive as this cartoon may be, I don't think it has anything to do him being a liberal.

He's just ignorant, most people in the U.S. don't know what we are and they don't want to educate themselves as to the significance of our cause. Don't kid yourself into thinking that all republicans wanted Elian to stay.

Most importantly, don't be equally ignorant and say "FUCK THE LIBERALS" because that makes you just as stupid, if not, stupider than this guy is.

It's not about being a "tolerant and compassionate liberal" but rather being tolerant and compassionate human beings, political affiliation is a a only fraction as important a characteristic as either of those things.

This guy is being a fucking jerk and you can take it out on him for being a bigot without generalizing and demonizing something that has NOTHING TO DO WITH WHY HE DID THIS.

Fight for your cause without stooping to somebody's level. This attitude only adds to the ignorance that let this happen.

The Washington Compost published it, http://wpcomics.washingtonpost.com/client/wpc/po/2007/08/22/

Exactly how are Cuban-AMERICANS going to "interfere" with the 2008 election? By voting? Ummmm, last I checked, if you're an AMERICAN citizen, you can vote in American elections, and that's not interfering with anything.

I don't think for a second that all Republicans wanted Elian to stay. But many more of them were cognizant of what was at going on. Republicans have ALWAYS been more in tune with the Cuban community and vice versa. Any time we've gotten royally screwed there has been a democrat at the helm.

The most offensive part of this cartoon was the statement (it passes insinuation at light speed) that we interfere with elections by NOT voting with the left is infuriating. FUCK THE LIBERALS should become a rallying cry.

I have sent this cartoon to several friends and relatives with the promise that should I ever meet Oliphant I will punch him in the mouth as though he were a cheap hooker. And I feel bad for insulting hookers. At least hookers are decent people.

I've emailed just about eveyone I can think of in the media, in the government, and the Washington Post. Their contact information is:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-adv/mediacenter/html/about_contact.html

Pat Oliphant is a native of Australia, Pulitzer Prize winner (1966), and apparently doddering in his old age. He has put out some good work in the past. But this piece of crap has no redeeming value, from whateve angle viewed. I think he is well past his prime, and it shows.

This cartoon is uninformed, unenlightened and displays the "nativist" cruelty referenced in Ziva's comment above which was fashionable at the end of the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Could this be the beginning of yet another in a long line of consorted anti-Cuban American campaigns like what occurred [and saw its zenith] during Elian? Castro is dying or he is dead, the Cuban government needs to deflect attention quickly and needs to delegitimize us even more than they've done in the past. This could be the beginning, el antesala for the Joe Cubas [Elian II] slander blitzgrieg.

Louis,

Which assertion of mine do you disagree with?

This is the name of the person that appears at the bottom of every press release. All the other emails are for a department or a general inbox.

Kris Coratti
Communications Manager
Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive
Office: 703-469-2763
Kris.Coratti@wpni.com

I tried to edit the cartoon and was going to post it at my blog showing a boatload of Jews being sent back to Hitler to make the point, but I don't have the software to do it. If someone else can create that image, I will gladly use it. Maybe that will attract the correct attention. And before anyone goes off on me, I'm Jewish. I have no doubt if the boat were filled with Jews or Blacks, or Mexicans, the Post would not publish it.

This bastard would be fired if he had used any other nationality instead of cuban-americans.

Where the hell is the Cuban Bar Association?

Nice, Ah liberals!!!

George, the swearing is not so much offensive but more importantly ineffective. It feeds the hothead stereotype, getting in the way of making our case.

Really if you read between the lines... I shows how powerful we are and is got to bother the liberal

I got this from a website:

Pat Oliphant by Pat Oliphant

No one is safe from the acid brush of Pat Oliphant, acknowledged by many as the nation’s most influential political cartoonist. A master of what he calls "confrontational art," Oliphant spares neither the liberal nor conservative, sinner nor saint. As the most widely syndicated political cartoonist in the world and a winner of the Pulitzer, he produces work that is as visually stunning as it is metaphorically powerful.

"Metaphorically powerful" my ass. You know, some might construe this cartoon not as an expression of opinion, but hate speech.

All right, I've already emailed the Washington Post. Then I hit the media outlets. If there is any media outlet that you think might be sympathetic, contact it. I'd give up my subscription to Newsweek, but I gave that up when it became Bush-bashing Central. What about their advertisers? I think we should play their game, if we can think of how to do it. Where is Sharptonez when we need him?

Henry - In the Joe Cubas custody case you state that the case provides others the opportunity to mock C-A's. I don't mind being mocked and ridiculed in the defense of truth and a just cause. We were mocked during Elian and the 2000 election and our anti-fidel stance but it really doesn't matter. They will mock us anyway because they don't like and misunderstand us. To most people, we should be grateful that we're here and keep our mouths shut. So, let them mock. Even if we don't win in the court of public opinion, it doesn't matter.

I hereby formally nominate Mr. Oliphant for a Pukelitzer.

I love it! I love it! I love it!

This is more than ample proof that we are a BIG thorn in the Liberal’s side…

Bring it on boys… ‘cause we are definitely going to “interfere” in the ’08 Elections.

Oh! by the way, you can kiss my Cuban-American A#@!

Louis, mocking is one thing, blatent public incitement to hate, published by a leading newspaper is something else.

Firefly,

You've said all that needs to be said--simple, succint and elegantly stated. They are green with envy, and impaired by their ignorance. That is their problem. Not ours.

The problem is that public opinion drives policy.

The smoking gun here, not that one is needed, is the truly vile and/or incredibly ignorant bit at lower left: "Say hello to Batista." I'm not quite sure where this guy is coming from, but this cartoon is VERY seriously offensive, and unless he's senile, he must have big-time anti-exile issues.

Sorry to bring up another topic, but I was just told by my father-in-law that he has heard a bunch of people where he works at that the people in Cuba are being prepared for the news of the death of castro. Anyone else has heard the same ?? I don't know how they know the people in Cuba are being prepared. Maybe another rumor that has a thousand legs.

Ziva -- I agree with you -- this is blatant hate speech and needs to be answered. My point is, while we need to confront it and defend ourselves, they will mock us regardless. So, give it your best shot, because as Firefly said, we're gonna keep interfering.

Many of us don't live in large C-A communities. We're white, assimilated, and speak without accents. We blend in and don't look "Cuban" (whatever that is). So, we don't see or hear blatant bigotry often, at least I don't. But as we saw during Elian and continue to see, it is there.

Hey FREEDOM4CUBA, I heard the same rumor this morning. That a bunch of bigwigs in downtown Miami we're preparing with dealing with it.

That said, we all know that there's no rumor that passes around town quicker than that one. You would think the media would've gotten wind of it by now.

Now, back to my politics. THIS IS NOT A PARTISAN ISSUE! His ignorance has nothing to do with political affiliation. Do not believe that anyone without personal investment is actually sympathetic to your cause.

If you think the liberals see you as a thorn, then you could very easily argue that the conservatives see you as an easy-to-please pawn in a swing state.

Ignorance to our issues is a non-partisan ill and your have to stop your partisan mud-slinging if you actually want something to happen to this guy.

Folks,

I hate to break it to you, but this is more than just "liberal" anti-Cuban American resentment. That is Oliphant cartoon is PURE UNADULTERATED XENOPHOBIA which saw its zenith with Elian. Many Americans in the USA are confused when it comes to Cuban Americans thanks to Hollywood and the media that constantly depicts Cuban Americans like gangbangers from East L.A. or like criminals; i.e. the new series "Cane" where Jimmy Smits is being used to play the part of a Fanjul!!!

During the Elian incident the rednecks got together with the "liberals" and pro-Castroites and started holding up signs that read, "One Gone, One Million to Go." That Oliphant cartoon feeds into this xenophobic frenzy. Many people in this country group ALL SPANISH SPEAKING people together thanks to the MSM that calls all Spanish speaking people "Hispanics" or "Latinos" instead of by their nationality.

They don't understand that Cubans are successful, college educated, republicans, who love this country etc.. Some of the comments that I heard during the Elian case was that the boy would grow up to be a gangbanger and that it was best to send him back while he was still young as if Cuban Americans had East L.A. type gangs.

No, this is more than just "liberal" vs. conservative, although that may be the heart of it. This type of crap is dangerous because it gets the xenophobes on the same bandwagon as the liberals.

Just got a response from CANF. They were also shocked at how bigoted.

The Oliphant cartoon is a good example of how so-called liberals are intolerant and hateful toward Cuban Americans. Oliphant would not dare draw a similar cartoon depicting African Americans in a boat being pushed by Uncle Sam back to Africa. Likewise, he would not depict Jews in a cartoon in a similar situation being shipped to Israel or the Irish being sent back to Ireland.

I especially like the snide little Bastista comment. Asshole.

oops, Batista.

Question:

Of all the liberals that constantly sing the praises of Communist Cuba, how many have ever spent more than a brief vacation there?

Why don't they show a bunch of Salvadorian gang members and tell them to shove off?

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