By Gary Martin
Summer is over. School has begun. And we’re closing in on election season. It’s time to start talking about pressing issues. Here’s the one on my mind this week.
Gary B. Martin is an illustrator and animator who has lived on the Upper West Side for more than three decades. His Sunday illustrations for West Side Rag chronicle life in the neighborhood, New York City, and the Universe.
Watch for Gary’s illustrations on Sundays in the Rag and see them all here. For a broader range of Gary’s work, including animations and other motion graphics, please visit www.martoons.com
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Yessir! I love your curmudgeonly old man musings, but I’ve been waiting for the Martoons I know from other publications that tackle the political storms brewing to make an appearance here. Thank you for going there. Let’s hope all your social issue cartoons will be greeted as kindly as they do your others — even from those who disagree with the issue.
Thank you, exactly what I was discussing with some friends last night.
Gary’s work is spot on! His brilliant commentary will be refreshing in this election season as is the current posting. I’m looking forward to seeing more of his thoughts in the rag.
Bingo! Love it!
So true!
🎯🎯
As long as thee take away from Martoons is consistent in being light hearted or even funny, I’m all in.
I mean a brand identity is a brand identity 😉
Brilliant! I hope all get to see this and appreciate its truth. Gary does a great job!!
Thank you! This can’t be said enough these days! (and as a bonus, the map will provide not only lessons but untold crossword answers).
Simple concept that seems so hard for some to grasp. Nice.
This just is not accurate. Half of my family founded and was instrumental in the development of the United States Of America. The country was not here until THEY made it. What was here was a very sparsely populated country with nomadic tribes.
The cartoon doesn’t refer to the United States. It’s about the place, the land. The land your IMMIGRANT ancestors stole from the people already living here. And, as a side note, do you think England was “sending their best” at the time? You ever look into the biographies of the people who emigrated to Jamestown and Plymouth? Not exactly the most enlightened, educated, successful bunch, were they?
So-called “indigenous” people also emigrated here, most likely from what we now refer to as Asia. Personally, I was born here. My ancestry is so mixed that it would be laughable to refer to myself as anything other than native American.
The land was here and people lived here long before anyone emigrated here and founded our country. Perhaps your family was part of the development of the United States of America as an entity 250 years ago, but nonetheless, they were once immigrants. That’s the point. Almost all of us came from somewhere else once.
Always good to be reminded of this FACT!
Thanks.
True that. An issue close to my heart and a very appropriate commentary. Bravo Gary.
Spot on, Gary.
I’m native American and am not an immigrant – was born on Long Island. Last I checked, Long Island is America. My great grandparents were legal immigrants from Ireland, however.
The point that some may be missing is — at some point in your ancestry — it is more than likely that someone (probably everyone) in your lineage came from some land other than this land. The cartoon isn’t literal — but the spirit of the message is clear. Think about it. Even the signers of the Declaration of Independence either were immigrants themselves or their parents were.
Immigrants in the past were not given taxpayer-funded free housing, free healthcare, free food, free legal services, free public education for their children, or prepaid debit cards.
Not to mention, there’s the whole issue of legality of immigration that this cartoon skirts.
But fundamentally, why does immigration policy the 21st-century have to look like immigration policy in the 19th century? We rightfully accuse conservatives of living in the past while doing the same thing ourselves when it suits us.
You have to choose what gets you mad Katherine…..dirt poor immigrants who get help feeding their babies and making sure they get vaccinated or gazillionaires who avoid being the taxpayers that help with that fundamentally humane task
Yes those are the two options.
And even they came from somewhere else.
Indeed. A necessary reminder for us all. Thanks, Gary.
My heritage is Puerto Rican that means I am not a immigrant so are Hawaiians.