Perhaps you’ve heard about the Danish editorial cartoon that sparked riots all over the world. According to the news, the comic featured some disrespectful images of The Prophet, so believers burned Danish embassies and whatnot.
Let me go on record as saying I don’t approve of the burning of embassies. But I must confess I’m intrigued by the notion of causing it to happen. Apparently the indirect method of causing embassies to be burned down is both totally legal and also a highly prized right. As you know, there aren’t many ways you can burn down an occupied building and get away with it. But it is completely legal to use your freedom of speech to indirectly incite other people into doing almost any dumb ass thing you can think of. That’s a big reason I became a cartoonist.
I always thought it was unfair that diplomats had diplomatic immunity. They can run over you with their car several times a day while saying the equivalent of “neener neener” in their own language. And it’s all perfectly legal. As a cartoonist, I have the power to fight back. The next time I see an ambassador double parking, I will mumble to myself “Say goodbye to your embassy.”