Islamophobia

Just when you thought the dark days of the McCarthy era were way behind us, Republican congressman Peter King begins holding hearings on the "radicalization of Muslim Americans." Naturally, we all want our government to be diligently rooting out all kinds of terrorism at home and abroad, but to single out Muslims is wrong. By not including all homegrown terror groups (Ku Klux Klan, Skinheads, Militias, etc.), King's effort looks like a witch hunt and sends the wrong message to those in the Muslim community who are helping in the fight against terror.

One of my heroes in the editorial cartooning field is famed Washington Post cartoonist Herb Block, or Herblock. He is credited with coining the phrase "McCarthyism." Over a half century ago, Herblock drew one of the quintessential editorial cartoons of the McCarthy era. Rather than try to improve on his perfect cartoon, I decided to pay homage to Herblock and his message that is as poignant today as it was in 1949.