A cartoon showing a firing squad of bureaucrats and media with rifles aimed at US veterans has sparked a call for an investigation into the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), a veterans advocacy group with about 1.3 million members.
Background
The VFW has used the cartoon in different variations since the 1930s to protest efforts to cut veterans benefits. The most recent version features a pair of men in business suits, labeled “bureaucrats” and “media,” pointing rifles at two veterans in military fatigues, with the phrase “Honor the Contract” printed below.
Rep. Mike Bost, chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, has asked VA Secretary Doug Collins to investigate the VFW after the satirical cartoon appeared on T-shirts being sold on behalf of the group. The proceeds from the T-shirt sales are meant to fund veterans mental health and suicide prevention initiatives.
Response
The VFW says the cartoon is a symbolic representation of the consequences veterans face when Congress targets the benefits they earned through their service. The group claims the cartoon is protected First Amendment speech and is not a depiction of violence.
Democrats in Congress and other veterans advocacy groups have come out in support of the VFW, with some calling the investigation a form of retaliation against the group for opposing a bill that would cut veterans benefits.
Original reporting: KEYT (Ventura/Santa Barbara) — read the source article.
