It’s been five years since the terrorists have had a successful attack on America. As a result, it’s tempting to think that the war on terror has pretty much been won. Can’t it all just be over already?

No, it can’t. And now I understand why.

Over the last two nights my wife and I watched “The Path to 9/11”, a two-part mini-series on ABC. There has been a lot of controversy and finger-pointing surrounding the mini-series, so there’s no need for me to talk about that here. Rather, I want to focus on the bigger picture.

It was riveting, much better than I expected it to be. A tense, tightly woven tale with high production values. It did more than entertain me, it educated me. And I didn’t mind a bit. “The Path to 9/11” illustrated vividly the fanatical hatred the terrorists feel toward us, and how fiercely dedicated they are to destroying America. Their threat now feels more real to me than it ever did before.

It also helped me to understand that this is not a traditonal war. Al Queda is not a country, they do not have troops or borders. This enemy fights not in battlefields and beaches but in the underground, the black market, and the back alleys of the world. They are sly, they are sneaky, and they could care less about the Geneva Convention or any other so-called “rules” of war. I’d heard about the terrorists’ zeal for violence, but now I understand how real the threat truly is. And it won’t be going away any time soon. There is no negotiating with these people. They will stop at nothing short of destroying America as a world power.

This is not a battle of ideologies, this is a real war, and like all wars it is sometimes very bloody and very messy. I used to roll my eyes at hearing news about the war on terror. Now I see we need to roll up our sleeves. My eyes have been opened and my resolve has been strengthened.

I’ve heard rumors that “The Path for 9/11” will soon be avaiable as a free download on iTunes. No matter what your political leanings are, I highly recommend that you watch it. Even if you have to pay for the download, it will be well worth the money.

I’m currently working on some illustrations for a Sunday School publisher. One of the illustrations was supposed to be a waist-up shot of Noah, but after I did the sketch they changed their mind and wanted Moses instead. So I thought I’d post the sketch just for fun.

I was gonna make him all smiling and cuteness, but I started thinking that if you had been warned that God’s judgment was coming, and you had to endure the ridicule of your friends and neighbors as you buit a giant boat in your back yard, you would probably have a heavy heart, not a cheery one. But I’m not sure it comes across in this sketch because of the cartoony-ness of the lines. So it’s probably just as well that the illustration was changed.

I recently stumbled upon a very thought-provoking Flash presentation. If the world’s population were simplified to only 100 people, this is about how it would look. Powerful stuff, really makes you think. We Americans are probably a lot more spoiled than we would like to admit.

So appreciate what you have. And maybe do something to share your blessings.

This week’s topic at DrawerGeeks is “Sgt. Rock”. Tonight I was up late working on a deadline, and I got over-tired. I couldn’t sleep, so I decided to sketch Sgt. Rock. I liked it enough to ink it. Then of course I had to color it. It’s now 4:18am, the art is finished, and I’m finally tired enough to sleep. Pretty soon I’m going to be too old for this all-nighter stuff, but being self-employed I’m able to set my own hours, so why not enjoy it while I can?

Anyway, things always look better to me when I’m tired and my visual perception is dimmed. I’m sure in the morning I’ll look at this and want to completely redo it. But for now I think it turned out ok.

The north central chapter of the National Cartoonists Society (of which I am a member) is having their yearly get-together in Minneapolis Oct. 6-8. The event is set to coincide with FallCon, Minnesota’s largest comic book convention, so it will be a fun, full weekend.

As part of the event, the Minneapolis College of Art and Design will be hosting an exhibit of work by chapter members in their gallery. The exhibit will be called “eyeToons”. Since I’m helping organize the show, it fell on me to design a postcard image that would be mailed out to announce the exhibit. [EDIT: If I had been thinking at all, I would have worked music into the illustration somehow to go with the “iTunes” pun, maybe have the guy listening to an iPod. But with my busy schedule this was what I banged out. Oh well.)

Our chapter is chock full of talented cartoonists and illustrators. Some names you may recognize include Bill Amend (Foxtrot), Jack Bender (Alley Oop), Tom Richmond (Mad Magazine), and Jerry Van Amerongen (Ballard Street). For a complete list of members, visit the chapter website.

The exhibit will be showing at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design gallery Oct. 6 – Oct. 22 with a “meet the cartoonists” reception Friday October 6 from 6-8 pm.

An animator faces his own animation in deadly combat. The battlefield? The Flash interface itself. Click here to watch.

(Thanks to John Barry for the link).