“We have met the enemy and he is us.”

THE FAMOUS EARTH DAY SLOGAN: “We have met the enemy and he is us.”        Walt Kelly (1913-1973)        American cartoonist best known for his Pogo comic strip        Kelly used this memorable line on a poster designed to help promote environmental awareness and publicize the first annual observance of Earth Day, held on April 22, 1970. It’s based on “We have met the enemy and they are ours” — the famous report made by American Navy Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry on September 10, 1813, after defeating a British naval squadron on Lake Erie during the War of 1812. (For more background see the April 22 Earth Day post on ThisDayinQuotes.com.)

THE ANTI-US KILLERS VERSION: “We have met the enemy, and he is not us. He is a shadowy figure that hates the Western world, hates freedom, hates women, and hates liberty of the individual.”        A post on the “Evil Professor” blog about anti-American terrorists

THE KILLER KITTIES VERSION: “We have met the enemy, and they are our cats. A report published in Nature asserts that cats might kill as many as 20 billion mammals — and possibly more than three million birds — every year.”        MSN news brief about a study that concluded cats that roam outdoors are one of the top threats to wildlife. The story noted one old-fashioned way of reducing the carnage your cat may cause (besides keeping it indoors): put a bell on its collar.

THE MOVIE BUZZKILL VERSION:   “A wasted opportunity to explore one of the last great moments of American dissent. We have met the enemy, and it is dull.”        Alonso Duralde        Movie critic for Reuters’ TheWrap.com        In his review of The Company You Keep, Robert Redford’s film about aging radicals who were members of the Weather Underground in the 1960s.

To read more “We have met the enemy…” variations, see this previous post on QuoteCounterquote.com…

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