Beetle Sunday page

I received this cartoon after I wrote the "Beetle Baley" people and asked them.  I am displaying this cartoon in what I believe is "Fair Usage". The copyright belongs to the creators of Beetle Bailey.


The impact of these events on Beetle: His Mom's letter told Beetle he was basically excommunicated from his family. She threw his personal belongings away and erased all evidence of his presence in the room (redecorated the room); his parents sold his car but didn't send him any of the preceeds; his girl is going out with another townee; and, his Mother let his cake burn but could not be bothered to bake him another cake and send that.

His Mother's words at the start of the episode said she cared but the parent's actions seem like they don't care about Beetle. It is hard to realize you've gone from center of the family to a quasi-outsider,.

This cartoon had a very personal impact on me. My parents had just moved the family to Klamath Falls, Oregon when I enlisted in the US Navy. They were happy to see me when I come home on boot leave, between boot camp and A school. However, when  I got a different reception when I came "home" after A school. My parents and brothers didn't seem to have time for me and were wrapped up with issues they would not talk with me about.

My Father had retired from the USAF as a LtCol with 24 years and moved the family to Klamath Falls, Oregon. He had a new job lined up. He lost his new job on the first day (his job's pay and benefits had been zeroed out) and he was on unemployment while going to school for his real estate license; my Mother had gone back to college to get re-cretified as an RN and was doing so at a college that didn't believe ladies in their early 40s were capable of succeeding in college.  My family, especially one of my younger brothers, were rude. After I finished this "vacation", I was marginally happier to report to a transit barracks in Norfolk, Virginia. The cherry on top of the proverbial dung pile was a letter from the obnoxious younger brother who said that I had been "rude and obnoxious (or words to that effect) and should not come back home until I changed my attitudes.

I never did...

I went on with my life of being a junior sailor and wrote my family every so often. They say a sailor should get more letters from home that what he sends home. In my case, it was the other way. There were many times I would be sitting on watch and wondering what  was going on with my family and not having a clue...

I eventurally (1972) got a letter "returned to sender". I asked my Grandmother about this and it turned out my family had moved to Tigard, Oregon but somehow had not remembered to tell me about the move.

Thinking about these events from 1971 still pisses me off. So much for time heals all wounds...

While it is painful to read this cartoon, it doesn't really relate to me in the sense that:

• I sold my car before the family moved to Oregon
• my parents moved all my stuff from the room I shared with "obnoxious brother" as part of moving
• much of my stuff disappeared simply because I was not there to protect it and 
• I really don't think my parents meant to be malicious. There simply did not give a shit. (Actually, they may have cared but they never bothered trying to tell me this. We were simply too estranged...)

-------- Original Message --------

Subject:	Beetle Sunday page
Date:	Wed, 18 Jan 2012 12:46:26 -0500 (EST)
From:	billcomic@aol.com

Enjoy this special Sunday !