About the monkey business at the NY Post.

Although, I didn't want to, I kind weighed in a little at NPR about this whole NY Post dead monkey controversy.

Here's the offending cartoon by Sean Delonas (his mother must be so proud!:

My comment on the cartoon and the reaction to it by some callers to TOTN this afternoon.

OK, let's ge this straight: Rupert Murdock paper hates Obama and the stimulus bill. Check. The stimulus bill is clearly Obama's baby. Check. Blacks have been depicted as monkies by rascists for centuries in this country. Check.

Ergo, the dead monkey is Obama. But it's really all about congress and some woman who got mauled by a monkey. Huh?

Naturally, the only people who don't see this for what it is, are white subscribers to the Post (are there any other kind?) and white men from suburban Philadelphia, judging by the callers to the show.

It's so funny whites from suburban Philly, who are always the first to launch the "N-word" every time Donovan McNabb makes a bonehead play, are suddenly at a loss as to why anyone would think a monkey could be used to depict a black guy. Amazing! I mean, some of their best friends are black. All these knee-jerk PC liberals need to lighten up!

Here's another comment from a fellow traveler (that's way better, BTW):

"I just drew a funny cartoon, and I would like you to share it with your guest.

It shows someone having sex with their mother while wearing a dunce cap that says 'I stutter because I am a moron'.

The caption to my 'cartoon' says: 'Looks like we will have to find another stuttering racist willing to justify the cartoon; ours is busy.'

Is it funny? Can I have a Pulitzer too?"

Now that's funny!

This is not:

Alternet:

"At noon today, at New York City's Rockefeller Center, a rally was held in front of the offices of the Rupert Murdoch-owned New York Post, to protest the racist editorial cartoon that ran in its pages on Wednesday . . . Rev. Al Sharpton's National Action network organized the rally, which was attended by hundreds of activists, union members, reporters, and commuters who came during their lunch hour, many of them shouting 'Shut Down the Post!'"

You know, the minute Al Sharpton shows up the whole thing, no matter how legitimate the protest, just turns into a three ring circus. All the right wingers have to say is "Al Sharpton" and America tunes out. And what's with this "shut down the Post" crap? Presumably, these are the same type of folks who would usually be banging on about freedom of the press, but in this case, I guess, it's only for the press they agree with.

Let's stick to the point here: The cartoon is depicting cops shooting a monkey dead. A monkey who is the author of the stimulus bill (that only three Republicans voted for) and is clearly supposed to be our beloved president (but not theirs) Barack Obama.

If W. was still president -- God forbid! -- and someone like Tom Tommorow drew a cartoon showing Alfred E. Newman being shot down, you can just imagine the reaction from Lush Limpballs and the right wing smear machine.

If what Delonas intended was literally about the face eating monkey and the critics of the stimulus bill, which is possible -- I've seen a bunch of his cartoons and they're actually pretty funny and not particularly right wing -- then he really should have thought this one out a bit more. At the very least, his editor should have told him to go take a deep breath first.

But, who care anyway? Fuck Rupert Murdock, let him stew.