Bil Keane Joins the Coalition of the Willing

Even the Family Circus has now taken a stand, however oblique, on the Iraq crisis. It could be a sign of the gravity of the international situation; it could show that Jeff Keane is trying to hip up the death-obsessed gag panel. Either way, America lost its innocence today.

Comments

[Stephen Hopkins Karlson]

Nothing new here ... the end of 1991 review had Dolly crying because Jeffy had called him a four letter word ... SCUD ... and Billy was attempting to evade picking up his room ... Stealth fighter? There should be one in here, but I can't see it (model was on the floor near him.)

[Mark Crispin Muckfuck]

C'mon, Tim, lay off the comics. The real damage will be done when the U.S. is brought to the World Court and The Family Circus runs an "Ida Know" strip.

[tim]

I was going to point out that the whole weapons inspection shell game creates an ideal pretext for "Not Me" and "Ida Know" to make a comeback. But since they haven't appeared in FC in a long time, I figured nobody would get the reference.

[Mark]

It appears that some readers are, like Keane himself, humor impaired. Tim's assertion that America lost it's innocence today was intended to be amusing. The truly remarkable thing about the cartoon is that the Family Circus was, for the first time in memory, funny.

[Bill]

Actually, I thought this panel was, for a change, funny. It sure beat the dotted-line-in-the-yard efforts. However, it's clear that the kid does not attend a terribly PC school. Where is he getting his insight?

[Rhywun]

Am I crazy or did Family Circus vanish without a trace? The comic is gone from Tim's link, and has been replaced by a link to King Features who have thoughtfully trapped me on their page by making it impossible to use the Back button....
And I was so desperately hoping to see a funny Family Circus.

[D Anghelone]

America has lost its innocence again? Since that occurs at least once every decade, I must ask how we manage to keep regaining our innocence.

[Steve]

D: It's like going to the Virgin Islands to get recycled.

[fyodor]

Tim, as I think you more or less pointed out in your own recent column, one can be against a first-strike invasion of Iraq and still think the UN inspections are a joke, and this latter point may easily filter down to children. So while sure, it may be that Keane is taking the Administration's side, I don't think this strip does so in a gratuitous manner.

[Kevin Carson]

How about an invisible ghostly figure of Bin Laden smiling approvingly over Bush's shoulder as he contemplates setting the "American Century" agenda in motion in the Middle East? Or maybe a dotted-line path showing the post-Operation Just Because journeys of the now officially irrelevant Osama? Who sold chemical weapons to Iraq? "Not me!" Who told Saddam the U.S. took no official position when one Arab country invaded another? "Ida know!"

[tim]

fyodor, I didn't actually mean Wild Bil has taken a position for or against attacking Iraq. It just seemed like a funny way to put it to say he's taken a stand. I should have realized the dangers of associating the concept of "funny" with the concept of Family Circus.

[Doug]

...more like "Coalition of the Coerced". If ever there was a reason NOT to join, this is it. If the veiled threats, (and some not so veiled) are supposed to make people see it Georges way, sorry, but I go the other way. Threaten me to help? F**K
you!!! I'm from Canada. Thanks

[Doug]

...more like "Coalition of the Coerced". If ever there was a reason NOT to join, this is it. If the veiled threats, (and some not so veiled) are supposed to make people see it Georges way, sorry, but I go the other way. Threaten me to help? F**K
you!!! I'm from Canada. Thanks