HAIL TO THE CHIMP
Obama signs $787B US stimulus package into law
CBC, Feb 17, 2009
U.S. President Barack Obama on Tuesday signed into law a $787-billion US stimulus package his administration hopes will help lift the country's economy out of recession. "I don't want to pretend that today marks the end of our economic troubles," Obama said before signing the legislation. "Nor does it constitute all of what we're going to have to do to turn our economy around. But today does mark the beginning of the end." Obama signed the bill, which is the foundation of his administration's economic recovery plan, at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science to promote the stimulus package's push for "green" jobs in the energy field. The package also includes funds for infrastructure and school investments, along with tax cuts. "We have begun the essential work of keeping the American dream alive," Obama said. The White House has established a website, www.recovery.gov, that will allow people to track where the money is being spent.
Battered by the subprime mortgage and credit crunch, the U.S. economy has been in recession since late 2007, shedding 3.6 million jobs in that time. In January alone, U.S. employers cut 598,000 positions — the biggest one-month drop since 1974. "None of this will easy. The road to recovery will not be straight," he said, but adding he is confident that the struggling economy will be left behind.
Even as the first stimulus bill was being made law, the Obama administration said it has not ruled out a second boost for the economy. White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said the government would do what it takes to spur the economy, although he said there are no immediate plans for a second stimulus package. Obama said the stimulus package won't constitute all of what will need to be done to turn the economy around. He is expected on Wednesday to unveil a $50-billion US plan to help homeowners stave off foreclosure.
New York newspaper accused of racism over 'Barack Obama chimpanzee' cartoon
by Tom Leonard, Telegraph, Feb 19, 2009
The cartoon in Wednesday's edition of the tabloid New York Post, which is owned by Rupert Murdoch, links two prominent US news stories – controversy over Mr Obama's economic stimulus proposals and a recent incident in which Connecticut police had to shoot dead a pet chimp that went berserk and mauled a woman. In the cartoon, drawn by Sean Delonas, a regular Post cartoonist, two officers are staring gloomily at the blood spattered chimp's corpse after one of them has shot it. "They'll have to find someone else to write the next stimulus bill," says the other officer.
The cartoon drew immediate criticism from Al Sharpton, the black activist and community leader. In a statement, Mr Sharpton said the cartoon was "troubling at best given the historic racist attacks of African-Americans as being synonymous with monkeys". He said that it could be asked whether the cartoonist was "making a less than casual reference to this" and could be "inferring that a monkey wrote the last bill". David Patterson, the black governor of New York state, later joined Mr Sharpton in asking for an "explanation" from the newspaper.
Col Allan, editor-in-chief of the Post, said: "The cartoon is a clear parody of a current news event, to wit the shooting of a violent chimpanzee in Connecticut. "It broadly mocks Washington's efforts to revive the economy. "Again, Al Sharpton reveals himself as nothing more than a publicity opportunist."
Protesters picket New York Post over chimp cartoon,
The Times, Feb 19, 2009
Protesters gathered outside the New York Post’s Manhattan office last night chanting “shut the Post down” after they claimed a cartoon in the tabloid compared President Obama to a chimpanzee. The Post's Editor-in-Chief insists his cartoonist was simply mocking the authors of the fiscal stimulus Bill as no better than a team of trained monkeys. But the newspaper’s critics say Sean Delonas’s sketch was tantamount to calling for Barack Obama to be assassinated. The cartoon, published on page six of the newspaper on Wednesday, showed a policeman standing over the corpse of an ape with a smoking gun in his hand. A colleague says to him: “They’ll have to find someone else to write the next stimulus Bill.”
The cartoon was referencing a celebrity chimpanzee named Travis who was shot dead by police in Stamford, Connecticut on Monday, after it mauled a friend of its owner. Civil rights leaders and politicians responded furiously claiming it echoed racist stereotypes. The Reverend Al Sharpton, an prominent civil rights leader, called the cartoon “troubling at best given the historic racist attacks of African-Americans as being synonymous with monkeys”. Members of the public also reacted angrily against the Post. Its phones rang all day with upset readers and protesters, picketing the tabloid’s offices, demanded an apology and a boycott. “How could the Post let this cartoon pass as satire?” said Barbara Ciara, president of the National Association of Black Journalists. “To compare the nation’s first African-American commander-in-chief to a dead chimpanzee is nothing short of racist drivel.” State Senator Eric Adams called it a throwback to the days when black men were lynched.
Col Allan, editor-in-chief of the Post, defended the work. “The cartoon is a clear parody of a current news event, to wit the shooting of a violent chimpanzee in Connecticut,” Allan said in a statement. “It broadly mocks Washington’s efforts to revive the economy. Again, Al Sharpton reveals himself as nothing more than a publicity opportunist.” Robert Gibbs, White House press secretary, declined comment. “I have not seen the cartoon,” he told reporters aboard Air Force One as Mr Obama returned to Washington. “But I don’t think it’s altogether newsworthy reading the New York Post.”
Hollywood chimp gone wild: A cautionary tale
by Harmon Leon, Examiner, Feb 20, 2009
As reported at Freedom Haters, this is a cautionary tale of Hollywood excess. First there was the TV commercials and high-fashion photo shoots. Then there was the wine, the drugs, and finally the bullet that ended his life. Following the tragic path of other fallen stars such as Britney Spears, Dana Plato, Lindsey Lohan, and Danny Bonaduce, we can now add Travis-the-chimp to this sad list. In his earlier days, Travis-the-Chimp starred in Old Navy and Coca Cola commercials. He drank table wine with humans, wore people clothes, and brushed his teeth with a Water Pick. But that was in Travis-the-chimp's glory days. Ten years out of work and a noticeable weight gain prompted a bout with Xanax addiction. Things turned tragic one dark night in February when an incoherent Travis-the-chimp tried to rip the face off of a human who bravely fought back by trying to stab the fallen star with a butcher knife and hitting him in the head with a shovel. Where did it go wrong? Freedom Haters has acquired exclusive video footage of Travis-the-Chimps brutal attack on a human. Warning: this video is not for the squeamish! See YouTube clip of CONQUEST OF THE PLANET OF THE APES.
Chimp shot overview (other politicians compared to monkeys). Associated Content/YouTube, Feb 19, 2009. See President Monkey Bush & Hillary Clinton turns into monkey
King Kong aint got nothin' on psycho chimp
by Daniel Dunkle, Waldo Village Soup, Feb 19, 2009
I've been giving it some thought and if you decide to get a pet chimp, I don't want to be invited over to your house. I've been reading the articles online about this poor lady who is fighting for her life after her friend's 200-pound chimpanzee, who may or may not have been hopped up on Xanax, tore her face off in a vicious attack. Apparently nature makes chimps strong. Police had to shoot the thing after the creature's owner stabbed it with a butcher knife. All of this was just another typical day in a quiet Connecticut community.
Here's a line from the Associate Press: "Authorities are trying to determine why the chimp, a veteran of TV commercials who could dress himself, drink wine from a glass and use the toilet, suddenly attacked." Really? I'm trying to figure out why he was dressing himself, drinking wine and using the toilet at all? Why isn't he in the wild or in a zoo where he belongs instead of setting up housekeeping in Connecticut? Of course, I operate out of the outdated premise that animals are not people.
My absolute favorite line from the Associate Press story is: "Dr. Emil Coccaro, chief of psychiatry at the University of Chicago Medical Center, said the drug (Xanax) can also lead to aggression in people who are unstable to begin with." Or people who happen to be Chimpanzees. Let's not just live with a chimp. Let's get him liquored up and on drugs while we're at it. Why stop there? Wasn't crack available? How about crystal meth? Let's get our monkey good and scrambled up.
Wild animals are dangerous. This isn't an isolated event. Remember when Australia's crocodile hunter Steve Irwin took his baby son to meet Mr. Gigantic Crocodile while waving a chicken leg around. Fortunately the baby didn't get eaten, but where's Irwin today? He was killed by a stingray in 2006. What about the guy who thought it was a good idea to go and sing to grizzly bears in Alaska? He's dead. How about Siegfried and Roy? Roy was mauled by one of his tigers. All of these people and many other daft individuals at one point or another have claimed to be in complete control of the situation while dealing with wild animals. That is not the case because animals are not people. They are unpredictable and dangerous.
And it's not that I'm not sympathetic. I'm very sympathetic to the poor lady who will be permanently disfigured because she's friends with an idiot. But if you hear that I am killed by my pet lion tonight, I don't expect you to feel sorry for me. I expect you to say, "What a moron!" Just say "no" to exotic pets.
Celebrity chimp savaged handler in drug-fuelled frenzy (shot dead by police)
by James Bone, The Times, Feb 18, 2009
A drugged-up celebrity chimpanzee that appeared in a television advertisement with Morgan Fairchild and was in a show with the singer Sheryl Crow has been shot dead by police after savaging a woman in Connecticut. Travis, a 14st (89kg) chimpanzee, attacked Charla Nash, 55, after grabbing the keys to the kitchen door and escaping from his owner’s house in Stamford on Monday afternoon. Ms Nash was critically injured. Sandra Herold, the 70-year-old owner of the chimp, used a butcher’s knife to try and save her friend. She told police that Travis might not have recognised Ms Nash because she was wearing her hair up.
Travis, 15, was toilet trained, dressed himself, ate at the table and drank wine from a stemmed glass. He brushed his teeth, could use the internet and watched television using the remote control to find his favourite baseball games. When he was younger Travis appeared in a television advertisement for Old Navy clothing with the actress Fairchild and was in a television pilot show with Michael Moore and Crow. He was also a guest on the Maury Povich Show.
Police said that the chimpanzee was being treated for Lyme disease, which can cause mood swings, panic attacks and paranoia in humans. When he became agitated on Monday afternoon he was given a dose of the antianxiety drug Xanax in his tea to keep him quiet. Still rowdy, he snatched the keys to open the kitchen door and began banging on cars outside to signal that he wanted to go for a ride. “The chimpanzee was a little bit rambunctious . . . and actually took the keys to the house and opened the lock to the kitchen door and allowed itself out on to the property,” said Captain Richard Conklin, of Stamford Police Department.
Ms Herold called Ms Nash to help her to get Travis back inside. When her friend arrived Travis attacked her. Ms Herold grabbed a butcher’s knife and tried to fight off her beloved pet, stabbing him several times. Ms Nash suffered severe lacerations to her face, neck and hands.
When police arrived Travis attacked the officers in their cars. He knocked the mirror off one patrol car before opening the door and trying to get in. One of the officers shot the chimpanzee several times. Police followed the trail of blood to find that the wounded animal had retreated through the house to his living quarters, where he died.
It was not the first time that Travis had been in trouble with the law. In 2003 he unbuckled his seatbelt and jumped out of his owner’s car after a pedestrian threw something at him. He did not catch the man but he kept traffic at a standstill for two hours before police could apprehend him. In Connecticut it is illegal to own an exotic pet, but owners are permitted to keep animals they had before the law was passed. “He’s been raised almost like a child by this family,” Captain Conklin said. “He rides in a car every day, he opens doors, he’s a very unique animal in that aspect. We have no indication of what provoked this behaviour at all.”
22.Doublethink & 27.Goodthink & 20.Thoughtcrime
Prince Harry's racist term sparks anger (has offended Pakistanis & Jews). BBC, Jan 11, 2009
The End of White America? (black-brown-yellow-red power movements; but "white power" doesn't sound good). The Atlantic, Jan/Feb 1009
Two students arrested over Obama effigy (face expulsion & bail of $7,600). SMH, Oct 31, 2008
Obama vampire nails sexy Palin (magazine cover "raised some eyebrows"). WorldNetDaily, Nov 5, 2008
No hate crime found in Palin effigy (more outrage if it had been Obama). NYDailyNews, Oct 28, 2008
Obama Oaf of Office (blame it on Chief Justice) & Barack H Obama fumbles presidential oath (jumps gun, can't repeat judge's words) & Obama inauguration flub watch. Breitbart/Wash Post, Jan 20, 2009 (...And while we're on Flub Watch duty, we have to mention the awkward oath. It appears that Obama jumped the gun at the beginning a little bit, and that threw off Chief Justice Roberts, who garbled the oath. Obama then improvised a little bit. They both closed strong, however. The oath is specified in the U.S. Constitution, so you'd think it would be flub-proof -- especially when delivered by skilled lawyers in front of 2 million people on the Mall and trillions on television. It states: "I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will, to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States." It didn't go exactly that way....
Inaugural benediction about racial caution (black not get in back, brown can stick around, yellow will be mellow, red can get ahead, when white will embrace what is right). CNN, Jan 20, 2009
Jackie Jura
~ an independent researcher monitoring local, national and international events ~
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