PATRIOT ART

Every once in a while, there comes a time in history when cataclysmic events produce vast changes. When the new supersedes the old and the dominant paradigm, as in a massive earthquake, shifts in its secret undisclosed location to change the landscape forever. This, however, is not one of those times.

Although 9-11 was in many ways unprecedented, the response has largely been another shoddy attempt to deal with threats by stifling dissent and criminalizing otherwise innocuous behavior. Like the Alien and Sedition Acts, the Red Scare, the Smith Act and COINTELPRO and other blunders. It's old stuff. Well, its different in one way - it has the stupidest acronym of all time: the USA PATRIOT Act, Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism. Such pomposity cries out for criticism, and we're only too glad to give it.

But it's not just the words, it's the actions: a set of draconian laws, a clampdown on foreign visitors and people studying here, a climate of questioning the patriotism of anyone critical of the current War on Terrorism. These actions won't tackle the problem because the problem is one of fear and lust for power, but mostly fear. Citizens are afraid and men with guns and badges are afraid. And people would rather attempt to quiet the criticism and blame outsiders than deal with fear.

That's why dissent is so important, even irrational, defiant and obnoxious dissent. It has the power to deflate fear, to change cowering into argument. We've been scared, too, but fear is not a good basis for long-range policy. So, we'd like to add some skepticism, some provocation ... and, we hope, some humor.

For many political cartoonists questioning the government while it marches us off to war can get you in trouble - or worse. As Ari Fleischer puts it, "You need to watch what you say." If you're a free-lance cartoonist, expressing unpopular opinions means nobody will print your work. If you are a staff cartoonist with a daily paper it means you get in tussles with editors and readers, and in some cases you get fired for expressing "politically incorrect" views.

The War on Terrorism means our government is flexing its military muscle throughout the globe. Here at home it means our government is thrashing through our Constitution, rummaging through our e-mails and spying on our bookstores and mosques. Therefore, a full and open debate is more crucial than ever.

In this light the cartoons represented in this show are not "as wrong as wrong can be". They are "as American as American can be." They are Patriot Art.

Huck/Konopacki Labor Cartoons: huckkono@solidarity.com