Well, it's a humor strip, so my first responsibility has always been to entertain the reader... But if, in addition, I can help move readers to thought and judgment about issues that concern me, so much the better.

Humor can inform and break down stigma, which is a huge issue in the military.

I've never taken any issue off the table for lack of suitability. Only for lack of imagination.

Medical decisions have been politicized. What doctor wants a state legislator in his consulting room?

When you're young, with less on the line, it's easier to be audacious, to experiment. So I introduced the concerns of my generation - politics, sex, drugs, rock-and-roll, etc. - to the comics page, which for many years caused a rolling furor.