Group Complains to Papers and Syndicate About Ted Rall

By: E&P Staff A conservative Web-based group has targeted cartoonist Ted Rall with protest letters sent to more than a dozen newspapers that publish his work as well as his syndicate, Universal. Rall has responded by denouncing the "Borglike hive-mind of reactionary Republicans."

The letters e-mailed and faxed were identically worded, according to The Aspen (Colo.) Times, which received about 100 of them, and called for the axing of Rall's work on grounds that it is "melodramatically ideological, simple-headed, snarling, and tasteless." The letters identified the source as laptoplobbyist.com, billed as "America's First and Foremost Online Conservative Community."

Chris Carmouche of Kansas City, Mo., a board member of laptoplobbyist.com, told the Aspen paper that the letters were part of the organization's weekly "action initiative." Each week the organization sends form letters on behalf of its members to policy makers and publications.

Rall commented: "Stuff like this is the result of a point-and-click blogger subculture. It's only something that started when the Bush administration took power. The right is reactionary. They like to indulge in censorship. The First Amendment is not really their friend."

Universal Press Syndicate Editor Lee Salem told the Aspen paper that mass postings from online political groups are common and mostly ignored.

Rall's cartoon, however, was dropped by MSNBC.com after Web editors received many form letters criticizing his cartoon about slain NFL star and Army Ranger Pat Tillman. Rall suggested Tillman was an "idiot" for leaving his family and enlisting for the war in Afghanistan.

Salem said none of the papers that received the laptoplobbyist.com letters have decided to drop Rall's work. The Aspen Times said it will continue to publish his cartoon every Tuesday.