If you browse on over to Garfield.com, like I do every morning, today's strip is blocked by an apology by Jim Davis:

Dear Friends, Fans, and Veterans:

In what has to be the worst timing ever, the strip that runs in today's paper seems to be making a statement about Veteran's Day. It absolutely, positively has nothing to do with this important day of remembrance.

Regarding today's Garfield comic strip, it was written almost a year ago and I had no idea when writing it that it would appear today -- of all days. I do not use a calendar that lists holidays and other notable days, so when this strip was put in the queue, I had no idea it would run on Veteran's Day. What are the odds? You can bet I'll have a calendar that lists EVERYTHING by my side in the future.

My brother Dave served in Vietnam. My son James is a Marine who has had two tours of duty, both in Iraq and Afghanistan. You'd have to go a long way to find someone who was more proud and grateful for what our Veterans have done for all of us.

Please accept my sincere apologies for any offense today's Garfield may have created. It was unintentional and regrettable.

Jim Davis

Yes, you read that right: they have more than a year's worth of Garfield strips stockpiled somewhere.

Here's the unintentionally offensive strip in question:

Wow. Just wow. Now, ordinarily I'd accept Jim Davis's explanation - according to TV, men forget birthdays and anniversaries all the time, after all - but this isn't the first time this has happened. Here's a Mallard Fillmore strip from November 21, 2006:

Why do wisecracking anthropomorphic comic strip animals who share names with U.S. presidents hate our troops????