"Get a Real Cartoonist!"

Looks like my cartoon about the passage of national healthcare has stirred up a great deal of discussion in Northern Virginia. For three weeks after the publication of the cartoon to the left, The Purcellville Gazette has featured discussion about my little drawing. An opponent of the cartoon even went so far as to demand that I be removed from publication because, apparently, my opinions don't match up with what he sees as the opinions of 'modern Virginia' (i.e. I need to shut up because I don't agree with him).

Expressing any sort of political opinion these days seems to result in a greater-than-usual backlash of anger from those that might disagree. I suppose that's just a sign of our turbulent political times. I certainly have received my fair share of 'hate mail' in the past several years for my opinions expressed through my cartoons. I count these letters as a positive. Disagreement and discussion is, hopefully, an indicator that substantive ideas are being analyzed. In a free society, it is absolutely essential that all opinions and points of view have the freedom to be expressed and discussed. That's one of the most sacred duties of the public forum that is available on the editorial pages of our many small-town newspapers. Many thanks to all of our local newspapers for fulfilling this function.

And many thanks to the Purcellville Gazette for publishing their kind editorial in the exchange posted below. Let the discussion continue!

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6 - April - "Get A Real Cartoonist"

I hate to be the one to tell you this but you really need to replace your cartoonist. His drafting skills are pathetic. A case in point is the cartoon in the March 26th edition of the Gazette. While he did a passable job of illustrating the thugs, morons and bullies that hurled racial epithets at members of the Congressional Black Caucus and bricks at the windows of other congressmen. He failed miserably to show us the millions of jubilant Virginians who gave President Barack Obama all of our electoral votes so that he could deliver on the century old promise of health care reform.

Find yourself a new cartoonist, someone who represents modern Virginia.

David Sheckler Round Hill
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13 - April - "Don’t Pick on our Cartoonist!"

Regarding David Sheckler’s letter of April 2. May I suggest to Mr. Sheckler that he consult the cartoon pages of the Washington Post if he likes the views of the “millions of jubilant Virginians who voted for President Barack Obama ....”.

Mr. Sheckler is like most liberals---not content to allow another point of view to be expressed without going berserk.

I, along with most other modern Virginians who read the Purcellville Gazette, LOVE your cartoonist. Keep up the good work, Mr. Lansing!

Virginia Trapp Leesburg

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20 - April - Editorial - "A Cartoonist for the Masses"

With all the concern over our cartoonist, Ben Lansing, in recent weeks, we thought we would share with you a little information about Lansing and his talents. While some will say he may be one sided or perhaps “too harsh”, that is not what other professionals and the general public are saying. In fact, support for Lansing is growing.

Ben Lansing’s work is currently featured at the Newseum in Washington, D.C. and his cartoon related to the Virginia Tech massacre went viral just days after being published in the Purcellville Gazette. T-Shirts, books, and blog sites around the world now feature his work.

Just recently, the Virginia Press Association awarded Lansing with a 2009 First Place for Illustrations in a Non-Daily Newspaper....his fourth consecutive win. Are we happy with Ben Lansing as our cartoonist, you bet! In fact, he also was nominated in 2008 for a Pulitzer Prize by the Freedom Forum. Based on their review process, his peers believe that he is not only a great artist, but his cartoons contain deep thought provoking issues, issues that need to be talked about, discussed and openly debated. Lansing is now releasing a book of all his drawings from 2005-2009. All of these cartoons were featured in the Purcellville Gazette and can be found online in our archives.

So next time you see our editorial cartoon of the week and get upset or laugh, remember, he is doing his job and that is to make you think about the subject matter.

Congratulations Ben and keep’em coming!

1st Place VPA Award

For the 4th consecutive year, the Virginia Press Association has given my work the 1st place award. Thanks everyone for your encouragement and readership! Below is the cartoon that helped earn the award (strange ... this cartoon seems to become only more relevant).

Joining the Twitterpation Nation

I said I would never do it. But I am forced to announce that several weeks ago I finally joined the Twitter bandwagon and got a Twitter account. You can follow me now at http://www.twitter.com/benlansing

Find out the instant new cartoons are uploaded to benlansing.com… get my running commentary on current events… subject yourself to my random bablings about movies, music, history, books, and more. I have to admit I found Twitter to be kind of creepy initially. I mean, seriously, do I really want people to be ‘following’ my thoughts and actions on a moment by moment basis? But now, after several weeks of ‘tweeting’ (a word I will always find stupid and repugnant) I must say there are many benefits to Twitter……… and it’s kinda fun. So join in! I’m now part of the Twitter cult. There’s no reason you shouldn’t be either.

Now Available: The First "Out of Order" Cartoon Book

It’s official: the first printed collection of Out of Order cartoons is now available. Compiling the greatest moments from the past three years and a half years of cartooning, “Out of Order: Cartoons 2005-2009″ is a great retrospective of all of the cultural, social, political, and just plain crazy topics addressed by Out of Order over the years. Click the button below to learn more and get your copy today!

VPA Awards

Many thanks again this year to the Virginia Press Association and my friends at the Southside Messenger and the Central Virginian. This year my art received a total of four awards from the Virginia Press Association, including: - 1st Place in Informational Graphics (Southside Messenger)- 1st Place in Illustrations (Southside Messenger)- 1st Place in Editorial Cartoons (Southside Messenger)- 2nd Place in Editorial Cartoons (The Central Virginian)God has blessed me so much with this incredible opportunity to share my drawings with readers on a regular basis. Thanks to all my readers for another great year as a cartoonist/illustrator!

Inauguration Cartoon

Some have said that my 1/19 cartoon about Obama’s inauguration was a bit… harsh. A bit insensitive to the historic day that Obama’s inauguration represented. I just can’t see how, with all that Obama has said about the Constitution, he can swear an oath to uphold it. The words that I inserted into Obama’s oath are his actual words. Watch this clip to hear Obama’s words for yourself.I sincerely hope that Obama turns out to be a great president, and I’m praying that the Lord gives him wisdom. But if Mr. Obama is consistent with the policies and beliefs he has expressed in the past, I’m afraid he’s going to be about as friendly to the constitution as… well… George W. Bush.

My Thoughts on the Election

With election day only a few short days away, I thought I would give a final wrap-up of my thoughts about the decision Americans must make. In February 2007, I expressed my concern that Americans were clinging to labels, foolishly accepting words and symbols, rather than taking the time to truly analyze ideas and beliefs (click here to read this post). In the following months, I let my cartoons express my opinion about the election and, as you can probably tell, I’m not a fan of either Obama or McCain. Both candidates have demonstrated an unwillingness to uphold the constitution and protect liberty. In my opinion, the decision about the direction of our country will not be made on election day. It has already been made by the two main political parties. May God have mercy on our nation. …But on a brighter side, mind-boggingly frustrating national and world events generate some great cartoon ideas. The scarier, more frustrating things get, the more I feel inspired as a cartoonist. Sure, Obama and McCain may both want to end our nation as we know it and take it to some scary places… But who says we can’t laugh along the way? So be sure to read benlansing.com regularly… Because it looks like the joke fodder is only going to get better from here on out.