Halloween Palin (hanging by a noose) Prop Sparks Controversy In WeHo

[sabra]

Source: CBS LA

WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif. (AP) ― A Halloween decoration showing a mannequin dressed as vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin hanging by a noose from the roof of a West Hollywood home is drawing giggles from some passers-by and gasps of outrage from others.

The mannequin is dressed in brunet wig, glasses and a red business suit. Another mannequin dressed as John McCain emerges from a flaming chimney.

Chad Michael Morisette, who lives in the house, told CBS 2 News that drivers and bus passengers have been stopping to snap pictures of the macabre scene.

Morisette says the effigy would be out of bounds at any other time of year, but it's within the spirit of Halloween.

He says "it should be seen as art, and as within the month of October. It's Halloween, it's time to be scary it's time to be spooky."

Read more: http://cbs2.com/local/Sarah.Palin.mannequin.2.849299.html

[bigworld]

1. That's out of bounds.

And I hope the secret service gets on them. I'd feel the same way if there were such "art" depicting Obama or Biden.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

2. Agreed. nt

[Jackpine Radical]

3. I agree.

Totally out-of-bounds.

My initial thought, on seeing the header, was "I bet THEY did it to get attention, just like B-Girl."

[SalmonChantedEvening]

5. Absolutely.

Intolerable no matter who is depicted.

[mr1956]

11. Lynching is never funny

I have no problem with the McCain dummy coming out of the flaming chimney, but the Palin thing is very, very wrong.

[goodgd_yall]

114. Context

It's Halloween and I'm seeing houses in my neighborhood with all sorts of scary things hanging by nooses.

[Name removed]

4. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[onenote]

13. Stupid.

Both the person who did it and anyone who defends it.

[Name removed]

35. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[onenote]

44. As Obama said, there are Democratic patriots and Republican patrtiots

Your post demonstrates that there are assholes in both parties. The good thing about this thread is that it demonstrates that the assholes are the exception, not the rule, among Democrats.

[yardwork]

52. It's never humorous to show a person being hanged. Never.

This is disgusting.

[heliarc]

83. I agree...

And thank you for using the proper conjugation of the verb.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

109. Sure it is.

[proud2BlibKansan]

40. Call me stupid then

:)

[onenote]

43. Already did.

[proud2BlibKansan]

47. I posted in this thread

#37 Sorry I am on my phone and can't paste a link.

We did this with Bush for a march in Jan of 07. I took pictures and posted them here. They were a huge hit. So I guess it's okay to hang Bush in effigy but NOT Sarah Palin? Even the NY Times published the picture. So excuse me if I find this outrage a bit hypocritical.

[yardwork]

53. I would not have applauded anyone being hanged in effigy. Ever.

[woo me with science]

60. Would it be okay with Obama? nt

[proud2BlibKansan]

65. No because he is not a war criminal

:)

[woo me with science]

71. Wrong answer.

The correct response to that question was that you need to be intellectually and morally consistent. Either hanging someone in effigy is utterly repugnant and should be avoided on our side as well as theirs, or getting upset about a dummy in a tree, made as a political statement, is an overreaction. You might also appeal to the history of lynching of African Americans in your response, and the fact that such a scene could be perceived as terroristic. By just saying that we can do it and they can't because of "war crimes," you sound just like the freepers who would happily lynch Obama in effigy because he supports choice...but be outraged to see Bush up there. They are just as morally certain as you are.

What war crimes has Sarah Palin committed? She has been in Alaska shooting moose and running a town, after all. Or would you recommend hanging for all Republicans who MIGHT exert that kind of power someday?

[proud2BlibKansan]

87. I supported hanging Bush from a noose

So it would be hypocritical of me to criticize this.

Give Sarah time and the VP slot and I am sure war crimes are in her future. :)

[Flubadubya]

110. In other words, give her enough rope and she'll hang herself...

:evilgrin:

[Tarc]

63. Thank you for the common sense. There is quite a bit of hypocrisy here

People are getting far too bent out of shape about this here.

[Marrah_G]

6. Way out of bounds. What a rotten thing to do.

[WildClarySage]

7. thats not cool

[yardwork]

8. That's disgusting. He should be ashamed of himself.

[KittyWampus]

41. throwing this out there- would a guillotine with headless Palin be okay? Intellectual exercise

Am just curious.

[petronius]

45. IMO, no. Imagery like this involving real people is pretty much always out of bounds

There are possibly exceptions, but I can't think of any...

[yardwork]

54. No It's not funny to show people being tortured or murdered. What's wrong with some people?

[Epiphany4z]

9. out of bounds

didn't like the Obama display like that don't like the Palin one.

[Name removed]

10. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Raster]

16. I thought they already did that!

[aquart]

12. I'll go with outrage.

[happygoluckytoyou]

14. VERY OUT OF BOUNDS... if Obama were shown in similar light WHAT WOULD WE SAY ???

ON THE OTHER HAND... I HAVE SEEN MORE AND MORE PALIN LAWN SIGNS SHOWING UP... mostly just her silouette on a broomstick

[artlife]

105. Double standard?

Why do we say these things and then show outrage when the Republicans turn it against us?

[ZeitGuy]

118. Possibly...

But then again, I would call their "moral umbrage" over something like this laughable in the face of what Republican's have turned into their own, distinct, signature fine-art form.

In other words, I discourage this sort of thing in the strongest possible terms...but I couldn't give a sh#t less what a bunch of sniveling, inbred, ignorant, clueless, race-baiting-cum-racist morans think about it.

It won't cost any Democrat an election, so try not to lose any sleep.

Oh, and welcome to DU.

[Dollface]

15. A noose is always in bad taste. He should have put her on a broom with a witch hat.

[billionbucks]

34. good idea!

[kestrel91316]

17. Inappropriate.

[Ian David]

18. That's not very nice, you betcha! Stop it, whoever did this.

If you want a Palin decoration for Halloween, just make a snow machine crashing into a tree with her on it.

You betcha.

[zonkers]

19. Stupid, tasteless un-Obama like thing to do, especially at this point in time. Why rile the other

side? No doubt the MSM will pick up on this.

[Hulk]

20. Is it time for the Obama supporters to demonstrate how ignorant they can be??

Why? This is so assinine. Some people will say and do anything to get attention, no matter how rude and insulting it may be to others.

What an idiot....and we ARE a nation of morons. We're #1!

[Alcibiades]

21. I bet it was done by a Republican

Just like Ashley the college student was supposedly a Democratic operative.

[heliarc]

84. Mmm...

unfortunately I don't think that stupidity is always more apparent on the republican side. We've got our share of idiots... and a Republican in West Hollywood? Not bloody likely. It was some very goofy Halloween crazy queen who... to his credit hates Palin just as much as Palin hates him... he was just stupid enough to fight assassination threat with assassination threat.

[Alcibiades]

88. Forgot the sarcasm thingy

It's what the Freepers have been saying about Ashley Todd, the democratic operative who had the foresight to join the college Republicans two years ago so she could set up McCain for race-baiting.

[heliarc]

91. Ah yes...

I'm too serious for my hat... too serious for my hat... too serious by far.

[ronnykmarshall]

22. Stupid asses.

Thanks for nothing jerk offs.

[goletian]

23. well, if she thinks people in west hollywood are gonna burn in hell forever, whats a little noose

action? thats definitely not an eternity of suffering......... /sarcasm

[NoodleyAppendage]

24. I guess his display had the intended effect...scare the crap out of Repukes.

In poor taste, but come on people. He isn't calling for her to be lynched.

J

[HopeHoops]

25. That's just as ignorant as what the McCain creeps are doing - "BOOO!" on that one!

[harmonicon]

26. what an asshole

[Stand and Fight]

27. Disgusting to say the least about this "display."

It's not right if they do such a thing and it's not right for this fellow to do it. :puke:

[efhmc]

28. Hateful and wrong.

[Ferret Annica]

29. They should take down the dumb shit lynching crap

All it is is a "they did it" excuse for anyone who gets flack for doing the same with an effigy of Obama or Biden.

[Taverner]

30. Dude, that's just fucked up

[MissMillie]

31. the prop isn't what's scary... it's the thoughts behind it that are

some things just are not funny

[goodgd_yall]

116. Oh, please

Being in West Hollywood, there's a good chance Morisette is gay. I can tell you, as victims of discrimination and hate crimes, this is a little black humor aimed at a homophobic, divisive woman. Gay people are not the dangerous ones, it's people like Palin.

[dhpgetsit]

32. That is almost as inappropriate as it would be

if it depicted Obama.

I don't remember lynching figuring into the Womens Rights movement, so I'm not sure it sends quite the same message as it would if it were Obama, but it is inappropriate all the same.

[billionbucks]

33. Bad Taste

I wouldn't like to see it the other way around

[zonkers]

36. Can we stop kicking this thread before it becomes Fox` news headlines?????

I know, I just kicked it, too.

[onenote]

38. the story is from CBS and you think Fox won't notice it if we pretend it didn't happen?

Get real.

[zonkers]

49. I know. But still, we are making more a fuss over it than anyone else.

[Caliman73]

68. I think we should be making the biggest fuss over it.

We claim to be the party that will take this country down a new path. We should act like it. Hanging people is something besides the obviously racist use of "lynchin" is also a sign of mob justice in the wild west. We are a nation of laws and the suggestion that hanging is appropriate goes against those values. I am all for freedom of speech and expression, but this is not something we need if we are trying to convey the idea that we will be better for the country than the Republican way of thinking.

[artlife]

107. I completely agree!

Get off your intellectual pedastals and recognize this is our race to lose with garbage like this exposing mean spirited ignorance at least even with that seen on the other side. If we want to be seen as the sensible side, we better start acting like it instead of being the whiny crybabies the Republicans make us out to be. The Republicans are complaining about a double standard and I am unfortunately inclined to agree.

Grow up people! Don't lose this!

[proud2BlibKansan]

37. My friend took Bush on a noose to a big march in DC

The NY Times took his picture and it was in the paper.

That was in 2007. Now either times have changed or it's wrong to hang Sarah and John but not George :crazy:

[artlife]

108. Your friend was an idiot too.

it was inappropriate then and it is still inappropriate. If they can't do the same to Obama without being called racists, then we have no business playing that game.

[trashcanistanista]

39. I confess. It is in bad taste, but ,

I LOVE IT!!!!!

:hide:

[flamingdem]

48. West Hollywood during Halloween is an anything goes time

The guys who did it are a gay couple. I saw an interview on TV... it's "art" they say .. they do not seem terribly bright about their "comment" but they will get their 15 minutes of fame.

[goodgd_yall]

115. I think

it's very gay dark humor. Sorry, I like it. With as much hate as she has for us GLBT people, what's a little parody?

[artlife]

111. You embarrass your party and a defeat will be your fault.

You need to grow up and realize that you are literally the icon Repubs use to describe the hatefull left. Why give them ammunition?

[Indepatriot]

42. WAY OUT OF BOUNDS! THIS CANNOT BE TOLERATED.

If we stoop to their level we've lost everything we stand for. Stop. This. Now.

[ZeitGuy]

120. Who's "we?" You got a mouse in your pocket?

Nobody here is losing anything...well, except for all of the FReeps who may be lurking in this thread--who are going to lose an election and a super-majority in Congress and any facsimile of political capital for at least the next eight years.

"We'll" be just fine. Thanks.

[Unca Jim]

46. No shit.

It's bad no matter who does it.

[Demit]

50. Not funny. Not art. Wrong kind of scary, wrong kind of spooky.

[Carni]

51. Better to display her in a witches outfit...

Or maybe put horns on her...but the hanging is out of bounds and not helpful IMO

[superconnected]

55. That is out of bounds, how ever if it were depicting iraqis and our dead soldier, and hussein in

the noose, I'd say, yeah, it's art depicting life.

[Feron]

56. Palin would make a better scarecrow.

However hanging anyone in effigy is wrong.

[happygoluckytoyou]

57. SO MANY GOOD BITCH/WITCH JOKES... this was bad taste ...take it down...hang a lipsticked pig ! ! !!

[texastoast]

58. This is very wrong

This kind of race-baiting tactics is just fucking stupid.

What I really want to know is: Is this a Republican masking as a Democrat? :tinfoilhat:

[leftynyc]

59. Very bad taste

and a very uncool thing to do.

[LynnTheDem]

61. But it's ok to hang black-face mannequins and call it "just Hallowe'en"

So being upset over Palin' hanging mannequin would be sexist.

[MissMillie]

62. neither is ok (n/t)

.

[heliarc]

64. I kinda hate halloween...

Right? What's funny about all this gruesome crap. Who can celebrate Halloween after Abu Ghraib. Halloween always makes me effin sick.

[PittPoliSci]

70. halloween's not all gruesome.

don't forget the slutty bunny costumes that completely objectify women.

all that being said, i still really like halloween. just not all the objectifyin' stuff.

[heliarc]

75. Garbage...

Smelly rubber masks... vandalism... glorification of violence. Tooth decay. Crap. Sorry, but it's a crappy holiday..

this is the only thing that redeems it http://www.yeswecarve.com

[PittPoliSci]

79. i think the irish would disagree.

[heliarc]

81. My wife is Irish...

And she agrees wholeheartedly that Halloween is a crappy holiday, not that I think the Irish vote as a block...

[PittPoliSci]

90. ugh...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samhain

[heliarc]

93. What.

This wikipedia entry attributes All Hallow's eve to Brittany, and it is the night BEFORE Samhain... anyway... it has only that to do with the Pagan Irish Festival which no one in the States celebrates with rubber masks, cheap plastic crap, and waxy chocolate. Yuck. Halloween sucks.

[PittPoliSci]

97. you're boring.

[heliarc]

98. boo hoo. You're childish. n/t

[PittPoliSci]

99. sure i am.

it comes with the territory of having a sense of humor.

[heliarc]

101. Yep...

lacking maturity too...

[Ignis]

103. Yet you're the height of maturity yourself?

You can't even admit that your own prejudices have colored your view of an important holiday for several religious and ethnic groups.

It's like watching a child who was once stung by a bee declare that honey is the root of all evil and has no medicinal or nutritional value.

That's mature? :shrug:

[heliarc]

117. Whatever.

I have enough maturity in this post to admit that I don't understand the significance of the holiday. Perhaps that's because it's always been presented to me as a time to mock horrible human experience and tragedy through mean-spiritedness and vandalism. My family has a history of fleeing torture (real torture) and if my "sense of humour" may seem lacking might have something to do with my inability to find gruesome images of torture or lynching funny. Halloween seems in my past experience to be an excuse for delinquency, and I don't appreciate the flippancy with which people treat these subjects. Sorry.

I admitted that I am an atheist... That may very well constitute a prejudice against the religious origins of the holiday, but I think that my real disgust with the holiday has to do with it's practice, and in no way says anything to diminish what I think are people's civil rights to believe whatever nonsense they like.

And even though I don't like the holiday, you will find me giving out candy to the people who come to my door. That part is fun enough.

I hope you'll join me in carving a Barack-O-Lantern this year. Its the first time I have done it in years... Mine was featured at http://www.yeswecarve.com

Peace :hi:

[Ignis]

121. We have common ground.

I'm an agnostic.
I abhor violence.
And I certainly don't think that lynching is an appropriate subject for Halloween displays (or any other, for that matter).

I'll happily carve an orange O'Bama, and raise a glass of cider to both the holiday and our new Prez!

:toast:

[Ignis]

92. Mind posting your religion?

That way we can crap all over your holidays, too.

:hi:

[heliarc]

94. Atheist...

I celebrate the day that Martin Luther King Jr. was born, and the day that Pinochet died.

And I love Thanksgiving because its not religious and celebrates gratitude, not vandalism and candy. :hi:

[Ignis]

95. I look forward to your upcoming anti-Christmas rants.

Because that's just a celebration of ... uh ... trees and wrapping paper, right?

Halloween is the New Year for quite a few DUers. Your own prejudices don't make it any less a real holiday, Mr. Scrooge.

[heliarc]

96. Bah humbug...

People can celebrate whatever fairy tales they want... that doesn't mean I can't speak my mind about it. I'm sick of cleaning up after the assholes in my neighborhood, and I'm sick of flippancy to murder and grotesque imagery that you get at Halloween. My family have friends who were tortured under dictatorship, and Halloween makes a mockery of TRUELY gruesome acts like that... this effigy of Palin is a mockery too.

Whatever the origin of Halloween.. All Soul's day, Samhain, whatever... it has become a lame, wasteful, and sickly cousin of what it should be.

[Ignis]

102. Historical Revisionism 101

So Halloween is unconditionally a bad, useless holiday because you live near litterbug assholes and because violence has happened in the past to other people?

I hope you practice yoga with all that stretching you're doing. :eyes:

[heliarc]

123. No...

But I think I covered this in the other post. I just don't enjoy Halloween because of how it is celebrated. I'll admit I was a little bit careless in how I originally posted... but I stand firm in my belief that lynching effigies is hardly a stunt that should be considered funny or part of a considerate lawn display whatever the occasion.

Looking forward to seeing your Barack-O-Lantern! Here's mine :hi:

[Ignis]

124. That's awesome.

I'm off to the market for more pumpkins.... :)

[heliarc]

125. I think its the best way to scare the GOP...

Booo!

[SUNSET1221]

66. THE MANEQUIN SHOULD COME DOWN

Let me tell you if this was a manequin of
Obama hanging from a noose for Halloween
the ACLU and NAACP would be all over it,but
it's fine because it represents Sarah Palin.
Just how much sicker is this election gonna
get.I shudder to think what next week will
bring and the sad thing is these people get
to vote.
It is viscious and sick and sad! 
Very wrong. 
I don't advise anyone to put anything on their
car,their house or to wear any clothing
showing who you are voting for.This election is
volitle. If they wanted to hang a dummy outside
for halloween something with the likeness of 
Biden ..... Never mindd .It's just WRONG no
matter what!

[last_texas_dem]

72. I find your claim about the ACLU to be doubtful

The ACLU has a consistent history of defending the free speech of both conservatives and liberals, even if it fairly often pisses off some of their largely liberal supporters.

[litlady]

67. Lynching is never funny. However, a moose trying to shoot her would have been.

;)

[Raine]

69. The repukes are getting a taste of their own medicine

with that kind of hateful display, I doubt they find it funny now. x(

[heliarc]

82. No they don't...

As a matter of fact they've got insane Neo Nazi's planning to kill our president. "taste of their own medicine" sounds like a gross understatement when killing your party's candidate is concerned. When the medicine is Hemlock its not a joke anymore.

[and-justice-for-all]

73. I know it is tasteless...

But did any one hear repukes voicing their disgust when the same thing was down with an Obama likeness?? or did we all forget about that?

[heliarc]

80. No...

and we're supposed to measure ourselves by the same low standards that they do? Images of lynching in this political climate are NOT acceptable... the ATF just arrested Neo Nazis for plotting to assassinate our candidate. We should not be giving the other side ANY argument at all that we are at all the same as those hateful brownshirts. The difference should be stark, and I for one don't approve.

[and-justice-for-all]

85. I think you missed my point...nt

[artlife]

112. I did hear the outrage... am I the only one?

Republicans and Independents alike were disgusted by the campus prank and the effigy was immediately taken down. What would have happened if they stuck around and laughed, saying that it was just a joke or just trying to be "spooky for Halloween"? They would have been skinned alive... in a Bi-Partisan way.

[fascisthunter]

74. Stupid.....

[rocktivity]

76. McCrazed and Failin's POLITICIAL FUTURES

are the only things that should be hanging by a noose.

:headbang:
rocknation

[crossroads]

77. Over the top imo!

[Zhade]

78. Twenty bucks says we eventually learn a republican did this.

First PM gets the bet.

[Zhade]

100. No one sent me a PM. Guess they realized it was a sucker bet!

NT!

[artlife]

104. Juvenile

Just like the crazy lady who said Obama was an Arab is a Republican? Grow up. You are what is wrong with our party.

[ZeitGuy]

119. Thanks for your concern. (nt)

[Zorra]

122. After the unbelievable amounts of lies, corruption, and dirty tricks displayed by republicans,

don't you think it is entirely reasonable for someone to be skeptical of a prank of this type?

The Ashley Todd hoax is one recent blatant example of republican RW extremist lunacy.

Welcome to DU.

[WriteDown]

106. Darn....

I would have taken that bet if I had seen this. W. Hollywood doesn't put up with many repukes. Now I fear its too late.

[Maeve]

86. Worst Person In the World, Monday Oct 27th

Yea, KO!

[npincus]

89. the guy's an idiot.

[goodgd_yall]

113. I like it and agree with Morisette

It's Halloween and time for spooking the hell out of people. I can't think of anything scarier than Sarah Palin.

Look---how many of you call it "lynching" when you see a house with a fake ghost or other scary, homemade figure hanging from a tree---one of the decorations you often see in front of houses on Halloween.