Editor, Times-Union: I was appalled when I opened the Times-Union on Monday, July 11 and saw the cartoon on the editorial page depicting President Obama with the hint of a monkey face, smoking a cigarette and slicing a picture of Uncle Sam in half with a bloody chain saw (CagleCartoons.com). The caption said that the president was “the @#*%! who divided us,” inferring a derogatory or vulgar word for the president. Really? The Times-Union has the right to disagree with the politics of President Obama, but this cartoon was extremely disrespectful to the office of president. The image of a monkey face offended me greatly, and I can only imagine what that caricature may imply to any of my African American friends that reside in this city. You need to do better than that! I suspect most of us are full of grief and fear at the happenings in our country the past few months. It seems as if hatred and distrust is prevalent everywhere. We have been very good at pointing fingers at one another. It seems pretty ignorant to me that you have placed all the blame of our country’s current divisiveness on the POTUS. Certainly, many of our elected officials in all levels and all parties are helping to feed this frenzy of hatred and fear. But to resort to name calling, prejudicial pictures and hateful commentary is not going to help solve our country’s multiple complex issues. We can do better than this! Maybe it’s time for each one of us to look in the mirror and determine what part we are playing in the hate game we are witnessing in today's world. I know I can do better than I have been doing! It is impossible for me to totally understand others that have differing viewpoints and lifestyles. What I can do is treat all people with respect, open dialog and love. In that dialog I expect others to call me out when I show signs of prejudice and hate that I may not even be aware of, and I believe it is my moral imperative to do the same. So, Times-Union, consider yourself called. I have hesitated to send this letter because I fear it may only result in people taking sides. I do not want that. I would hope that all of us, no matter our politics or belief system, would agree that we must do better than we have been doing. We must do better in the way we treat one another. Pastor Cindy Gackenheimer Celebration United Methodist Church, Winona Lake Claypool, via email
