#JeSuisCharlie

They murdered people but they will never murder ideas or the artistry to make them come alive. #JeSuisCharlie pic.twitter.com/j6rQAZOqcZ

— Glendon Mellow (@FlyingTrilobite) January 8, 2015

From tweets I wrote after the one above, linked in a Twitter essay:

-I am not a political cartoonist (or even a cartoonist) so thank you to those sharing and RTing my sketch.

-As someone working in illustration and the media, I have felt distracted and dismayed all day about what happened at Charlie Hebdo.

-I don't think I would generally enjoy Charlie Hebdo, but that's not the point. They were murdered for making art people disagreed with.

-Free speech and freedom of artistic expression are not only for the wittiest writers & most technically skilled artists.

-We must protect the crass and outrageous artists and speakers in free society. We must. Society shifts when they move the needle.

-I do not think this crime against art was committed specifically with religious zeal. Not as a primary motive; rather

-This murder was committed by control freaks who want everyone to think like them. And that's just never gonna happen.

- So I hope the Parisian police are reaching out to the Muslim community and offering aid against backlash.

- As an atheist, I think it is vital that no one die over a difference of artistic expression. Too many already have today.
 

You may feel free to share this image wherever you like, but please link back to my handle @FlyingTrilobite or here at glendonmellow.com.