Inauguration cartoon marks a new low

CAUGHT UP in the euphoria of Barack Obama's inauguration, it is understandable that your op-ed crew may have missed the new president's call for unity, cooperation, and mutual respect. The featuring of Ward Sutton's graphic in Thursday's edition spotlights, instead, the base level of ignorance and hatred on display during an otherwise landmark event.

Not for a minute should anyone shrink from disagreeing with our government's policies, as open debate is a cornerstone of our way of life. But the kind of personal attacks on George W. Bush and his family, as illustrated by Sutton's feature, marks a new low that not only disrespects Bush but defiles the office of president itself.

Admittedly, several of the graphic's panels were simply examples of vapid grousing by repressed lefties. But when Sutton seems to endorse those in the crowd on the Mall singing "Na Na Na Na! Hey Hey Hey! Goodbye," he supports ignorance and the denigration of the entire ceremony.

And the next time you feature a web address in a cartoon, I suggest that you review it first. Is the type of material featured on FingerSaluteToBush.org what passes for learned discourse at the Globe?

John F. Malloy
Plymouth