Mike Lester for August 16, 2013

@skipcarlsen – obviously I am just speculating. I think if it was 10 years ago and it had been a President Bush mask it would have been a minor story in the media just like the Obama rodeo clown story has been.

For what it is worth, I am a teacher and for years when students have worn a mask of a current or former president to school as a halloween costume (and they do every year) I tell them I feel it is disrespctful to the office. I always ask them to reconsider what they are doing. Often the sudent understands what I am saying and takes it off.

It wasn’t the mask, it was the call for Obama to be hurt by a bull that crossed the line. And had it been a GWB mask in the same situation, there would have been a negative response.

Also note that the fair in question is supported in part by government funds. As such it should try to remain non-political.

All that said, who really cares? Get a life people.

Given the us-vs.-them mentality that seems to be at the root of what passes for American culture these days, I expect that there will be more and more hate and disrespect, some demonstrated more crudely than others.

I think the most proper response is sadness that our “civilization” is so willing to act like children.

Perhaps the best response is the one that worked best at recess: don’t encourage him. If you ignore stuff like that, it will probably stop. It is all calculated to get a reaction. Don’t react, and it’s no fun any more.

Morty and Skip – I do seem to recall a huge flap at Fox News et al. after a screenshot from “Game of Thrones” showed a head on a pike was a modified George W Bush mask. The only thing recognizable was the profile, and you had to freeze frame to see it.

dear pdchapin nothing happened to the announcer who made the statement same as he did in 1994 but that was bush

George Bush assassination film wins top award 2006

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-405644/George-Bush-assassination-film-wins-award.html

Yep, no disrespect there…

“It’s not the color of his skin, it’s the thinness of it.”I agree Obama’s race has little to nothing to do with it. It’s little more than naked partisan politics.

It was done in spades. In fact, in one specific rodeo even a dummy of some kind was fitted to be Bush and the bull was encouraged to gore (pun intended)… also had the broom thing too, just in case you wondered.~Also read Tuffy the rodeo clown didn’t do anything wrong by David Weigel of the liberal blog site slate.com.He notes Eddie Vedder impaling a Bush mask on his microphone stand regularly while singing Bush Leaguer.Also, don’t forget those signs at anti-war protests (which surprisingly don’t happen with a Democrat in office even though we have so much more going on).And then there’s the movie “Death of a President” about Bush’s assassination.~Those are just a few things he notes and I remember far more occurring than that, but nothing happened to those people and Bush nor his staff or party said a thing.~This is one of the few things I respect about Bush, and technically Clinton for that matter, because they knew they would be the blunt of jokes and such and never took it seriously. It’s just a nature of the office. Instead, this administration takes to actions akin to that of hard left-wing countries by inciting fear to silence folk and send people to rehabilitation camps.~So to directly answer… I got no issue with a Bush mask and a bull being let loose on some clowns. Heck, get 3 masks, George, George and Jeb. Have a hoot. Get er done. Whatever.

Actually, the rodeo does received some gov’t funding. A few respected talk show hosts noted such and at least one was disappointed they took funding, but it is what it is. Don’t know that it really matters in the end, but it is definitely a truth.

Someone give this man a rim-shot… he earned it. ~Too be fair this is the first i heard of the Game of Thrones thing. It certainly didn’t make the news rotations like this rodeo clown has… I wonder??? …

My initial question was “what happened”. After reading several reports, and the comments of the audience interviewed, and well, roadkill eaters statements, it’s the good old KKK element that’s disturbing more people than the clown, the broom, or the insinuation of killing the President of the United States,, regardless who that might be.

Emmett Kelly and Slim Pickens never would have come up with such trash, btw.

Yes, like the pictures of Bush morphing into Adolf Hitler

^As usual, you didn’t read my comment! I pointed out it wasn’t the necessarily just the actions of the clown, which your “report” did NOT reflect several accurate descriptions of the “bit”, and you didn’t cite all the audience comments insulting the President, and expressing a resurgence in prejudice in this former slave state. I’ve watched a lot of rodeo clown bits, and seen a lot of people panned, but the announcers statements, and the scenario here went far beyond “good taste”.

^“w” was never insulted because he was white, just stupid and mean-spirited, and a coward.

Simple html.

<img src"location of your image" />

That’s it.

I forgot the equals after src so, src=“location”.

Also, the image needs to be web accessible, not on your local drive. Try picasaweb.

comment below if you are a republican