Press Release from AAEC Board

The Association of American Editorial Cartoonists applauds the Urban Tulsa
Weekly for removing David Simpson as it's Editorial Cartoonist following
overwhelming evidence of plagiarism.

David Simpson was not a member of the AAEC.  Still, we believe that his
long history of stealing material from our members, including the late Jeff
MacNelly, and his previous firing for plagiarism provides cause for us to
challenge his being given another chance to occupy space that might
otherwise be filled by one of the many talented and original editorial
cartoonists available today.

Cartoonists must respect copyright laws and the individual creativity that
makes the work of each cartoonist unique.  This incident highlights the
importance of outstanding, original, political cartoons and reaffirms their
essential position in journalism and Democracy.