Weekly Terrorism Spotlight

Volume 1, Issue 8 (May 7)

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

Michael Ramirez takes Pulitzer two

Pulitzer Prize winning cartoonist Michael Ramirez’ work includes stunning illustrations of Islamic jihad

Controversial political satire through an illustrator’s coloring markers has make its impression deeper this year in the world of journalism through two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Michael Ramirez.

The Pulitzer committee’s recognition of a political cartoonist shows the illustrator is relevant at a time when many newspapers are turning from hand-drawn illustrating.

Internationally, it has been illustrations that have seized on the emotion of issues, case in point, a cartoon, such as one by Danish paper, Jyllands-Posten, publishing “bomb-head” Muhammad and other Islamic-related drawings that sparked rioting, ongoing backlash, and a whole lot of thinking.

Thoughts center not just on the issue of Islam’s extremism and its source ultimately, but on the value of free speech itself.

If the “bomb head” illustration had been explained in an editorial, with words alone, it probably would have garnered not attention at all.

Illustrators reveal issues in a universal language.

Ramirez’ work includes stunning illustrations to reveal the threat of Islamic jihad.

The award was not without detractors, mostly, it seems, from editorial writers who have not found an edge to express their profound understanding of such issues in quite so universal ways.

However, columnist Paul Greenberg handed Ramirez credit where credit is due. “Michael Ramirez is just about the best editorial cartoonist in the country,” Greenberg said.

He had been let go some time back by the Los Angeles Times, which doesn’t even have its own cartoonist anymore – another sign of the sad decline of the American editorial page.”

Congratulations to Michael Ramirez and fair warning to Islamic tyrant regimes and terrorists: his colors are ever at the ready.