Last week’s column about canceling our syndicated political cartoons in the Alva Review-Courier drew a lot of comments. I was stopped by people in stores who said they were unhappy with those cartoons, too. One lady came into the office specifically to express her appreciation. She also had a recommendation of where I might find more acceptable political cartoons.

The “last straw” cartoon for me was one from a liberal slant about Rush Limbaugh after his death. Most people I talked to considered it in poor taste.

On Friday, I received a column about Limbaugh from Roger Ringer who writes for a rural Kansas publication. He wrote about Limbaugh’s influence and character. Here’s a part of that column relevant to the discussion on political cartoons:

“What disappoints me is the fact that Rush was a believer and probably turned a cheek more often than most Christians. When Rush passed away I have never seen more so called Christians take so much delight in the death of a fellow human being. Most grandmothers would wash their kids’ mouths out with soap for what they have spewed out about his passing.

“Like him, love him or hate him, Rush made a difference and that is something that many will never achieve in this life.”

Then there was the comment from a Waynoka resident who said he assumed by posting a liberal cartoon and a conservative column that the paper was trying to be neutral. He was the only one who said he thought the Limbaugh cartoon was on target.

Actually, we weren’t given much choice when we subscribed to the political cartoon service. We would have preferred a more balanced choice of liberal, conservative and moderate.

Our Sunday columnist Jim Scribner came in for his share of criticism this past week. He’d been making comments and jokes about Trump in his column. After the inauguration, Scribner offered some jokes about Biden. That didn’t go over so well with some of his followers.

Then we received this letter from Jack Fisher of Alva:

“There is a political cartoon from long ago that featured a little guy in the corner of the cartoon whose name was John Q. Public. He was a short guy wearing a tie and a hat and glasses. The cartoon series would usually show big government or big business victimizing Mr. Public. Sometimes I would look at that one but the others I would avoid. When I was just barely old enough to read, I realized that John Q Public was me.

“I am going to sneak in a free thank you note for your idea to drop the big three-column political cartoons, especially the one showing hate for Rush Limbaugh. I remember when Rush was diagnosed with cancer, there were people in D.C. cheering and celebrating about it. Since he passed away, there have been some even more horrible comments and drawings about his death showing up on the internet. I am really happy not to see another one along that line.

“When Rush had a TV show I would watch it because he would reveal something that was happening to John Q. Public. Then he moved to radio for several years and John Q. Public was able to call in to his show.

“With him gone there is no longer anyone nationally speaking for John Q. Public.”

The reference to John Q. Public sent me searching the internet. I learned that John Q. Public was born in 1922. The editorial cartoonist Vaughn Shoemaker invoked him for the Chicago Daily News to satirize how “taxes and stupid officials” made life hard on the average American.

Jim Lange, the editorial cartoonist for The Oklahoman for 58 years, was closely identified with a version of the John Q. Public character he sometimes called “Mr. Voter.”

I’m going to wait a bit and see how not having a cartoon on the opinion page works out. Eventually, we may add one back but it won’t be from the same syndicated service. Incidentally, during all this discussion I learned the term “political cartoons” is no longer used. The current term is “editorial cartoons.”