You can’t swing a dead cat without hitting a “gate” scandal. Watergate. Nannygate. Troopergate. Wikipedia lists 122 of them, and those are just the “worst” ones. And now there is Weinergate.
Well, add one more.
Footgate.
I didn’t make the annual Reuben Awards (the Oscars of the cartooning world) in Boston last weekend, but just a couple of days ago I received this photo from someone who did. For his safety, his name has been redacted.
That’s a foot on the pillow.
According to my sources, the accident happened during the black tie banquet on Saturday night. The victim (whose identity has been obscured), allegedly broke his foot when he “tripped over a chair.” Others say it was a table.
I decided to get to the bottom of this developing scandal, mostly because I am NOT in Boston and I don’t have anything better to do. But also because the vic (investigative parlance) is a friend of mine, and he has been on several cartoonist trips to visit the troops (see “Cartoonists and their callsigns” – he’s one of the guys in the article, but again, his identity is being protected. I have checked with legal counsel, though, and I am allowed to say that had the injury been to his skull, it would have taken an inordinately large amount of bandages to cover the wound). So I felt it was my duty.
So did he trip, or was he tripped?
Cartooning is a competitive business, and you never know who might resort to underhanded tactics to get to the top.
So let’s break down the room.
All of them are members of the “Band of Boneheads” who traveled to Iraq together last year to visit the troops.
This was another photo that was sent to me, taken minutes before (or maybe after) the “accident”:
Notice anything missing?
That’s right! Tom Stiglich, an award-winning editorial cartoonist from Philadelphia, is not in the picture. Where could he be?
Maybe out TRIPPING SOMEONE?
If so, he should be drummed out of the cartooning world in disgrace. His client list should be passed to another deserving cartoonist and he should be forced to lay down his pen and inkwell for an indefinite period of time.
Harsh? Yes.
Could he be guilty? No, but that’s not important. What is important is that he passes his client list to a deserving cartoonist. Preferably a veteran.
Preferably a Navy veteran.
This is a tragic story, but like I said, it’s a competitive business, and you never know who might resort to underhanded tactics to get to the top.
