At risk of coming off as being "late to the party" on this topic, we'll put the spotlight on this morning's Standard-Examiner front page story, which reports about the ruckus created at Huntsville's 4th of July parade on Wednesday, when somebody... (nobody seems to know whom) rented a limo and rolled down Huntsville's main drag with what we'd label a "political parody float," with a faux President Obama and gaggle of youthful costumed "Secret Service extras" in tow.
Here's the full SE story... be sure to check out the irate reader comments, which as of this very moment already number 75 and rising...
And via the ever-excellent Ogden Adventures Blog (OAB) (yesiree, it's also inked in our WCF sidebar), here's an image of this of this controversial float, which is raising one helluva fuss:
 |
| Dastardly 4th of July parody float |
 |
| Obama imposter adds to the Huntsville merriment and mirth |
In truth, we're not sure what's causing everyone get their panties in such a bunch.
Maybe one of our more astute gentle readers can explain it all to us.
Update 7/7/12 7:05 a.m.: The Standard follows up yesterday's story with this one, proving up the old ax that there are at least
Congrats to the Standard for being honest and forthright:
The parade entry featured a presidential-looking limo, with one banner that read: “Huntsville welcomes Obama: The Farewell Tour?” Another banner took issue with the recent Fast and Furious gun scandal, proclaiming, “Ask about our assault gun plan. Call Eric Holder.” [Link added].
The banner’s wording was reported incorrectly in Friday’s story about the float, based on information provided by several people who had been at the parade.Here's the incorrectly reported line from the original SE story:
But it was the banner on the back of the limo that some riled spectators say went too far. It read, “Plan B: Assault Guns.”The moral of the story?
Verify your facts before you allow your panties to get all bunched up.
That goes double for rookie S-E reporters who allow themselves to get way too worked up while the regular editors are out of the office for the holidays, wethinks.
Update 7/8/12 12:19 a.m.: Nice wrap-up on Wednesday's overblown Huntsville 4th of July Brouhaha, from where else? Our friends in the know at Ogden Valley Forum:
17 comments:
Ahem!
These GOP assholes are getting their panties too far up their asscrack, for sure
"Obama Farewell Tour" is funny. And all the junior Secret Service agents are cute. But "Ask about our ASSAULT GUN Plan" is crude, juvenile, ill-advised, and immature for anyone old enough to remember what a real Presidential Assassination is like. You've got to assume none of the perpetrators was born before Nov. 22, 1963.
Huntsville Utah 4th of July parade Anti-Obama Float
http://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ie=UTF-8&ion=1#hl=en&sclient=psy-ab&q=huntsville%20utah%204th%20of%20July%20parade%20Anti-Obama%20Float%20&oq=&gs_l=&pbx=1&fp=e4316f9ee5086259&ion=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.,cf.osb&biw=1482&bih=926
Actually, Bob...........someone commented on the SE article, now up to 255 comments, that the FAMILY that made this float had been making POLITICAL floats for years, for the Huntsville 4th of July Parade. So many years, that this family and their float were let in, this year, on the last day, with no thorough review by the Huntsville City Council. Guess that review process will change, going forward.
Manufactured Outrage
KSL has it too --> click here
TLJ
Well well well, we seem to have gotten our knickers in a real bunch over this one. If anyone has the time [or stomach] to deal with the 140 plus comments on the SE site last time I looked, heavily larded with the nonsense such hot-button matters usually bring forth on newspaper comment sites, have at it. I gave up a while ago.
So, where does a reasonable, sensible, well-intentioned, fair minded and judicious person... well, alright, me... come down on all this?
Here:
1. The initial roar of offended outrage was based, mostly it seemed, on a report that the float had a sign on its back saying "Plan B Assault Guns" or some such. That seems to have been a false report, and the actual sign was intended as a satirical swipe at Mr. Holder's problems with the guns-for-gangsters mess, truly one of those "what the hell were they thinking?" matters. Perhaps in these sensitive and gun-besotted times, a moment's careful thought and some prudence on the part of the floatmaker might [should] have led to that particular sign being omitted. It was a family 4th of July Parade, after all, a day and event to celebrate national and community unity, what we as Americans stand on together. It wasn't a skit for Saturday's Voyeur. So, poor judgement, but no more.
2. The Obama character seemed to some... seemed to me... to have some racist overtones to the make up involved [mask, etc.] To others not. Again, family small town 4th of July Parade, it seemed ill-chosen to me. So, poor judgement, but perhaps no more.
3. Several reports [these not contradicted by eye witnesses] had the Obama character draping his arm over a young white woman during the march, presumably as part of an attempt to satirize the Secret Service's recent problem with the sex-capades of some of its agents while on duty over seas. And this, Rudi, is the matter I find most offensive. [Note: the President has not been linked in any way to the sexual indiscretions of the Secret Service agents.] The President, let us remember, is a married man, and married to a black women. Having him in a 4th of July parade drape himself over a young white woman was of course offensive and in very poor taste. Consider for example if the wag who thought all this was funny had instead had a caricature of Mitt Romney draping himself over a succession of multiple wives. No, that would not have been funny in the parade. [He is married to one woman, let us remembers.] And yes, it would have been I presume highly offensive to at least some of his LDS supporters and they would have complained, and rightly so.
4. As Chef once famously told the boys on South Park, "Children, there's a time and a place for everything. It's called college." Someone should have reminded the maker of the float that there is indeed a time and a place for broadly satirical sexual satire: it's called Saturday's Voyeur. That time and place is not a small town, big town, any town's family heavy 4th of July Parade.
5. So, we have in the end an exercise of bad judgment and poor tastes on the part of the float-maker. I confess I'm a little skeptical about his claim now that he never meant to offend anyone. I suspect he could think that only if the only people he is much around and talks much to are those who, somehow, would think what he did this 4th was a laugh riot and not in any way offensive. He needs to get out more.
6. Is it worth all the heart-burning screeching rhetoric [both sides] now venting on the SE comment boards: I don't think so. Ham-fisted dim-witted attempt at political satire in the wrong place at the wrong time for the wrong audience. But that's pretty much it. Enough.
One gem of a comment, Bob; and you're exactly right.
Manufactured outrage...........? Yeah ..that is what all the Mormons reading both Standard Examiner articles are trying to claim.
What is funny is that the local TOPIX for South Ogden has transferred over to the TOPIX HUNTSVILLE forum a subject that has being discussed since NOV 2008. The original comment was posted by a then Hill AFB employeed after the American Flag of a Black Family living in SOC was set on fire, right after family members returned from helping out at the voting polls on Decision 2008.
The title of the TOPIX blog was written by the Hill AFB employee guy, and this thread has been receiving comments as recently as late June 2012:
Why are Mormons so racist and judgmental?
http://www.topix.com/forum/city/huntsville-ut/T50UVQD52BDE45FLA
Did you bother to read any of the comments? The last page is mostly the same guy and it is all pretty much "my religion is better than your religion".
I couldn't put it any better, so, at the risk of sounding like a dittohead: ditto.
while this story has generated many comments on the S-E board it pales in comparision to last years top comment story. The winner is about the man who butchered a cow in his driveway that generated 886 coments.
methinks Bob got a bit long winded there ... for such a simple public outburst; a novella is not for blogs.
js
BB
Frankly, Jen, I LOVED Bob's piece. You're wrong, I think. Blogs are the places for people think and digest sometimes complex ideas.
The places for short, frivolous posts are Facebook & Twitter, methinks.
Do you have a real job? Must be nice to harass people while being subsidized by the government. Your hateful writings about Mormons can't be any different than the Obama float. I'm sure you have some excuse as to why it's ok to hate people based on their religion rather than race. Your a sad little girl who needs help.
Outdoors Girl said nothing about Mormons in her comment ... nor her financial situation ... where are You coming from?
ja
BB
She knows.
Post a Comment