Luckily for you, truth isn't required by law in comic strips. You say 270,000 people were killed by gunfire at home in the last nine years? According to the FBI Uniform Crime Statistics, the number is about one third of that, and since the gun laws have been "weakened," the trend is downward. Have a nice day.

Great strip yesterday. One of the best ever. The Blowback comment "JAPAN" asks "Should we outlaw knives and cars?" Well, we do outlaw switchblades and such. And we require registration, license and insurance to own and drive a car. I always thought it odd that you need to register a cat or a toy poodle, but not an assault weapon. Along the same lines, I wonder if anyone ever been killed with a one-hit bong. They're illegal, but not a thirty-round clip.

Whirr...Bing! Illogical circumstances due to pre-existing agendas...Carbon-based beings in deep denial...Whirr...next planet...

On a scale of one to ten, today's strip is about 10^3.

We're sending a heartfelt thank you to Mr. Trudeau for his courage in continuing to write comic strips that are honest and, in our opinion, completely on the mark. Today's comic expressed what we believe perfectly and we are so glad someone actually "said" it -- albeit in a comic strip. Those in power should be saying the same things! Our oldest paid it the highest compliment this morning, deeming the strip "door-worthy."

Of the 270,000 U.S. gun deaths cited in today's strip, half were suicides. Before you blame guns for encouraging US suicides, remember Japan leads the world in suicides with 30,000 deaths per year. And this is from a country with the strictest gun control laws on the planet -- where owning a gun is all but non-existent -- and one of the best standards of living. People will kill themselves or others with or without a gun. Witness the stabbing incident in Brooklyn this week, where a man stabbed three people to death and hit another with a car he stole. Shall we outlaw knives & cars?

Finally, finally GT has the guts to state the enormously obvious. You live in a bizarrely interesting country where portions of your population live lives of fear arming themselves against their fellow citizens. You spend literally trillions fighting and "safeguarding" yourselves against a shadow enemy in a war that's only winnable through compromise. Meanwhile your country tumbles in education standards and the rich/poor gap widens daily powered by bold greed. GT has a wonderful sense of irony that many Americans lack. We're friends and neighbors and want to see you happy and successful, but continually marvel at how badly you misstep, ignore history lessons, embrace political mythology, ignore facts and let fear rule your lives. Thankfully there are voices like Doonesbury that examine some realities.

The 270,000 appears to be the total number of gun deaths. Over half were suicides. Getting rid of guns won't lower the suicide rate by much. And of the homicides, I'd like to know how many were gang or drug related. I can't muster much sympathy for those folks. In fact, they're doing the rest of us a favor by killing each other off. We do have a problem with mentally ill and underage people acquiring guns. We need to work on that problem rather than painting all gun owners with the same brush.

Thanks for blessing me with today's video. I've been to church!

I find it to be incredibly bigoted that you never missed a day to find some inane reason to humiliate George W Bush, but during these last two years with Obama in office not one cartoon finding something to criticize him for (even his buildup in Afganistan). It is amazing that we now have a perfect administration...

Is GBT prescient or what? I can't wait to see what happens in Berzerkistan tomorrow!

Todays strip poses an interesting question: How do recent changes in the Middle East affect the US policy in Afghanistan as it relates to the war there?

"Tyrants are such babies!" A masterful line from what's shaping up to be a great series. Duke and Earl are exquisitely unlikable, but they are indispensable just for providing us with such gems.

I love the last frame of the yesterday's strip as Duke lets slip a small smile of pride (or just true appreciation) as he watches the "chip off the old block" in action.

"First, I need you to overnight my retainer" -- oh, what a perfect chip off the old block. Earl and Duke are going to be fun this week!

When Garry was interviewed on NPR recently they talked about the most memorable strips. Easy answer for me: the one which has been on my refrigerator door for more than six years. Mark screaming "There is no evidence of a link between Saddam Hussein and 9/11! None! Even the White House admits it!" I think that strip may have gotten the word to more Americans than any broadcast or digital sources. I just saw the movie "Fair Game." Maybe it's persuading some more people. Probably not. Anyhow, I removed the yellowing strip from the fridge for safekeeping; maybe I'll get it framed.

As much as we all like to diss Jeff and his Red Rascal fantasies, Sunday's strip made me wonder: Has Mr. Trudeau considered that Jeff might have a future writing thrillers? Jeff has had CIA training, three stints in Afghanistan, and experience in creating a character. Ian Fleming built the James Bond legend on less.

I think I get it now. Jeff's a cartoonist! He's a cartoonist whose character has a life of his own, which he acts out. He's a bit like the character Stanley Ford in the movie "How To Murder Your Wife," who, assisted by his faithful butler, Charles Firbank, acts out the scenes before he draws them for his comic strip featuring action hero Brash Brannigan.

This is hitting a little close to home. I'm reading the BLOWBACK comments on my phone while my girlfriend is sitting next to me on her computer. Kids these days, amirite?

Wow. I've been emailing you about my crush on Natalie. Instead of responding via email, Doonesbury created a strip just for me. I'm honored. You've listened to the voice of the people!