Shooting gallery apologises for using Obama as a target

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Guardian

Shooting gallery apologises for using Obama as a target
Pennsylvania fairground shooting game used image of black man in a suit wearing presidential seal, clutching 'health bill'


A carnival game that offered fair-goers the chance to win prizes by shooting a black man has been axed after complaints that the target resembled President Obama.

"I voted for the man. It wasn't meant to be him," Irvin Good Jr, the president of Goodtime Amusements, which ran the attraction, told the Morning Call newspaper. "If they took it that way, we apologise."

The fairground shooting gallery, named "Alien Invasion", appeared at the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Big Time Fair in Roseto, Pennsylvania, last month, and attracted complaints for using using a lifesize figure of a black man in a suit, wearing a belt buckle labelled "The Prez" and clutching a rolled-up sheaf of papers marked "Health Bill".

While Irvin Good said "I guess we made an error in judgment and we apologise for that," other fair-goers were not so sure.

In a letter to the editor of the LeHigh Valley Express-Times, a family attending a reunion at the carnival wrote: "We were appalled to find that a shooting game had as its target an unmistakable image of President Obama. One wins a prize by shooting the president on targets placed on his head or heart. Adults and children alike were taking aim at the president."


Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/richard-adams-blog/2010/aug/04/barack-obama-shooting-gallery-target

[arbusto_baboso]

1. My reply to Mr. Good (profanity laced)

Fuck you, you fucking liar.

[movonne]

7. and add a couple of more fucks to the list..

[wordpix]

51. "gee, I didn't think anyone would equate all that to the president" Add some FU's from me, too

[siligut]

2. Did Irvin really vote for Obama? I doubt it.

Everything else he says appears to be a blatant lie. Too bad mendacity isn't considered a crime, because people like this probably consider it such a joke.

[Ian David]

76. I couldn't find any political contributions from him or from his company. n/t

[driver8]

3. Hey, Irvin Good Jr. -- you are a fucking idiot. n/t

[skoalyman]

4. they should put Irvin Good up there

for target practice live ammo anyone?:evilgrin: jk

[Judi Lynn]

5. Darts shot at Obama likeness in Pa. carnival game

Darts shot at Obama likeness in Pa. carnival game
By MICHAEL RUBINKAM (AP) – 48 minutes ago

ALLENTOWN, Pa. — The head of an eastern Pennsylvania amusement company has yanked a carnival game in which players shot foam darts at an image resembling President Barack Obama.

Irvin Good Jr. pulled the target-shooting game after receiving a complaint from a patron attending a fair in Roseto, about 65 miles north of Philadelphia. Good said Wednesday his company, Hellertown-based Goodtime Amusements, won't offer the game again.

"It was just a big, big mistake in judgment, and I feel sorry about it," he said. "I can't take it back, but I can try to make it better."

The game, dubbed "Alien Attack," featured a large painted image of a black man wearing a belt buckle with the presidential seal and holding a scroll labeled "Health Bill." Players could win prizes by hitting targets on the image's head and heart.

Good said that he voted for Obama and that the game wasn't meant to encourage violence against the president. He said the image was conceived and painted by a staffer.

"He just drew it up, and that's the way it came out," Good said. "We didn't talk about it being political."

More:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iY4cxN8S6zIMVyylvlfkQcpjccegD9HCSF8G0

~~~~~
Roseto carnival game message: 'Step right up and shoot' Barack Obama
Published: Wednesday, August 04, 2010, 12:31 AM Updated: Wednesday, August 04, 2010, 11:11 AM
Express-Times staff

http://media.lehighvalleylive.com.nyud.net:8090/today_impact/photo/big-time-obama-game-3520c7b601957da9_large.jpg

Kathryn Chapman took a trip to the annual Our Lady of Mount Carmel Big Time celebration last weekend, and she was shocked to see a shooting game with President Barack Obama as the target.

"I just can’t believe how far things have come that now on church property you can shoot the president and get a prize if you hit him in the head or heart," said Chapman, a Medford, Mass., resident who last lived in Roseto the year President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. She was in town for a family reunion.

Even though the game shows a black man dressed in a suit, holding a scroll labeled "health bill" and wearing a belt buckle that features the presidential seal, Goodtime Amusements President Irvin L. Good Jr. said the image does not portray President Obama.

Good reports speaking to two people with complaints about the game. Of one complainant, he said, "She said she was offended by it. I said if you are, you might want to be. But you’re interpreting it as being Obama. We’re not interpreting it as Obama."

Chapman confronted the game owner, who claimed "freedom of speech," she said. Her husband, Richard Shultz, said he would have complained no matter the political party of the president depicted.

"The message … step right up and shoot the president — I mean, c'mon," he said. "In my lifetime, two presidents have been shot and I don’t think we should have that as an amusement game."

More:
http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/today/index.ssf/2010/08/post_47.html

[Hulk]

6. Demonstrates just what a sick nation we live in....

..that these fools even have the audacity to pull this shit. They should have their game torn apart by angry fair-goers. What a worthless act of stupidity.

[Judi Lynn]

8. Barack Obama image targeted in Roseto Big Time shooting game

Barack Obama image targeted in Roseto Big Time shooting game
Published: Tuesday, August 03, 2010, 5:55 PM Updated: Wednesday, August 04, 2010, 10:59 AM

http://media.lehighvalleylive.com.nyud.net:8090/slate-belt_impact/photo/obama-game-c01f638d96dd7ca5_large.jpg

A game called "Alien Attack" at the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Big Time celebration in Roseto encouraged players to shoot darts at the head and heart of an image of a suited black man holding a health care bill and wearing a presidential seal.

Irvin L. Good Jr., president of Hellertown-based Goodtime Amusements, said the game wasn’t meant to depict President Barack Obama, but he acknowledged he’s received two complaints since its April debut, including one complaint at the Big Time.

“Yes, a woman talked to me about it,” Good said today. “She said she was offended by it. I said if you are, you might want to be. But you’re interpreting it as being Obama. We’re not interpreting it as Obama. The name of the game is ‘Alien Leader.’ If you’re offended, that’s fine, we duly note that.”

When it was suggested the health bill and presidential seal might lead players to believe the game did depict Obama, Good said, “You may be right there.”

More:
http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/slate-belt/index.ssf/2010/08/alien_obama_targeted_in_big_ti.html

[guitar man]

82. that's awful

It looks more like Michael Steele than it does Obama though :rofl:

[Judi Lynn]

9. I saw a rec. has disappeared. Who would want to remove a rec. from a thread like this,

informing people that someone put up the President's likeness publicly as a shooting target?

Oh, yeah! Never mind!

[slackmaster]

28. I Unrec'ed it because of the poorly written headline, which I realize is not Judi Lynn's doing

Just a Grammar Nazi Nitpick Unrec.

Nobody was using President Obama as a target.

[Turborama]

67. Kudos for owning the unrec

I just neutered it, though. :P

[Judi Lynn]

71. Ha! That's a better reason than I expected, absolutely. I jumped to the wrong conclusion.

Thank you for taking the time to respond.

[LanternWaste]

86. Too many capital letters, I believe...

Just a Grammar Nazi Nitpick Unrec."

Too many capital letters, I believe...

[JBoy]

10. dupe

[Judi Lynn]

11. Brilliant idea, putting antennas on the President's head to remind people

Teabaggers are claiming he's an "alien" (not 100% Anglo) and shouldn't be allowed to be the President, no matter how many people vote for him.

Inmates trying to re-seize the asylum, take us back to the days of the Deciderer.

[Mendocino]

12. Hello Secret Service

anybody have their phone number handy?

[FailureToCommunicate]

40. 617-565-5640 for New England. Check your region. Hope somebody in PA dropped

a dime on this un-American racist bozo law breaking liar.

[RamboLiberal]

81. They are investigating

I posted in LBN.

[The Wizard]

13. Some people need

a good beating. Irvin Good Jr. needs to be publicly horse whipped and put in state prison.

[AlbertCat]

21. a good beating. Irvin Good Jr. needs to be publicly horse whipped

and put in stocks or a pillory with a dunce hat on for 3 or 4 days.... then state prison.

[Judi Lynn]

72. Stocks would be superb. It would be so appealing to people who'd like to drop by

and tell him how they view a man who'd do something that underhanded, vicious, and stupid.

It would be a great fundraiser for a church carnival if they charged a buck each for the opportunity to have a face to face moment with the racist scum.

[Frisbee]

14. Bullshit like this (and assholes like this)...

Are why I have absolutely no use for republicans/conservatives AT ALL. They are ALL evil motherfuckers who have no sense of decency whatsoever, every last one of them. (sorry, but if your mother is a republican or conservative, that includes her!) Furthermore, if a liberal group had done the same thing with a likeness of Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity, James Dobson, Dubya, etc., etc., they'd be screaming bloody murder and demanding an apology. Voted for Obama, my ass! I'd bet dollars to donuts that this scumbag is a card carrying member of the NRA.

[Spazito]

15. Huh, "It wasn't meant to be him"....riiiiight...

That's why it was called "Alien Attack", not birfer intent there, no sirree. The belt buckle with "The Prez" on it and the bundle of papers marked "Health Bill", the 'target' being a black man with ALL these labels.

Pathetic, disgusting and deliberate.

[onethatcares]

16. Our Lady of Mt Carmel says it all.

now, go say five our fathers and six hail marys and wipe that shiteatingrinoffyourface.

That religion thing is great for bringing out the hate in everyone.

Do you think they would have let us use targets that looked like * at the Fatima Chapel of Holy Hell Fair and big ass ride rip off?

[Name removed]

17. Deleted message

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

[GoddessOfGuinness]

18. I'd have a problem with it even if it didn't seem to represent our president...

Why was it an image of a black man to begin with?

[slackmaster]

32. Lots of firearm practice targets use images of black men

[GoddessOfGuinness]

35. Seems like a simple target would suffice.

It's good enough for amusement parks...

[slackmaster]

36. The idea of defensive firearm training is to learn to shoot for maximum effect

The highest probability of disabling the threat posed by the person you are shooting. Using an anthropomorphic target allows a student to practice aiming for center of mass, or for the head.

Another common type depicts a deranged criminal holding a hostage as a shield. The idea is to hit the bad guy but not the victim.

Roundel targets are appropriate for practicing precision target shooting, during which one shoots at roundel targets.

[Libby2]

19. OMG!! This is just sick!

[MissDeeds]

20. The FBI and SS should be all over this

I think the message 'Mr. Good' (isn't that ironic?) was sending is clear. This is sooo wrong.

[time_has_come]

22. Was anything like this ever done to Bush? n/t

[glinda]

23. No.

[time_has_come]

26. Are you sure?

I have someone asking me why it was ok to do it to Bush. Common sense tells me it wasn't, as well as memory. Both are fallible though. Common sense tells me that if it was ever done to him there would have been equal outrage and i would have seen it (being the news junkie i am)

[glinda]

60. It would have been in the news.

[slackmaster]

34. Yes, here's a pic or three

It's all fun and games until someone starts taking it too seriously IMO.

[a la izquierda]

38. Um, sorry...

but no matter how much you might like to think those are the same, they are not. Three are not even from the US, and the others are urinals. Not the same.

[slackmaster]

43. An effigy is an effigy no matter what it's made of or what weapon is used to attack it

As long as the thing being attacked is a symbolic representation of a person rather than the actual person, it's political speech and protected under the First Amendment IMO. If fire codes and other laws aren't violated, it's not a crime either.

[a la izquierda]

53. If you don't see the problem with this...

you have a problem. The "President" target wasn't an effigy. It was a target for a stupid, poorly thought out game. Effigies have long histories, most not implying actually murdering a president...

[slackmaster]

56. Was burning a papier-mâché figure of George W. Bush "implying actually murdering a president"?

I don't believe it was, and lots of people did that.

[Caretha]

52. They are also not

handing someone a 'pretend lethal weapon' to do 'imaginary harm' to the president, but that will go right past the slacker.

[slackmaster]

58. Fire can be a lethal weapon

How's this?



BTW, you probably don't realize this but my title of Slack Master has nothing to do with being a "slacker". I'm proud to be known a master of Slack. I worked hard to gain that recognition from my peers in the Church of the SubGenius. Calling me "slacker" constitutes a personal attack (argumentum ad hominem), and does not amount to a label I'd apply to myself.

I'll assume you did it out of ignorance and let it slide this time.

[Caretha]

62. Go play your games elsewhere

I'm not into your disingenuous

[Paladin]

54. Been Saving All Those Images Up To Shame Liberals, Have You?

Trust me, it didn't work.....

[slackmaster]

74. It's not and has never been my attempt to shame people for being liberals

I am simply pointing out the inherent hypocrisy of becoming enraged over one case of symbolic destruction of an image while tolerating another.

[eleny]

24. As if any "shoot a black man" game is okay?

Of course it was supposed to be the president. By his apology, Irvin Good only backed himself further into a corner. He should be out of a job.

[slackmaster]

30. I knew some Italian guys who used to play "Pin the tail on Sammy the Bull Gravagno"

:shrug:

[eleny]

46. Sounds to me like you're equating the president with a murder, mobster

[slackmaster]

47. No, I'm equating the people at the shooting range with other people playing a childish game

With an effigy.

Sammy the Bull Gravano was mobster who had a change of heart and ratted out the Gambino family. His conversion to informant, while it was done for mainly selfish reasons, probably saved the lives of hundreds of people in the long run. He was of great help to law enforcement.

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

[eleny]

49. I'm familiar with the Wiki information

Since you haven't grasped that your analogy is offensive, understand that now.

Tossing out Gravano's name as you did in your earlier reply, I doubt that anyone would have inferred your subsequent explanation. You're beginning to sound like Mr. Good at the carnival. His explanation only made him appear worse, too. Not that you care given the antagonistic quality of your replies in this thread.

[slackmaster]

55. My analogy "is" offensive to you only because you choose to take offense at it

Slapping labels on things, i.e. X "is" Y and A "is" B, really adds nothing of value to the discussion.

Not that you care given the antagonistic quality of your replies in this thread.

I think I must have some kind of immunity to taking offense at symbolic acts. While I feel strongly that shooting at an image of the President demonstrates poor taste, I feel more strongly that it's political expression and deserves to be protected.

I take offense at it no more than I do at someone burning the flag.

[eleny]

57. You haven't effectively lectured me on what I find offensive

Sounds to me like your ability to persuade or illuminate is lacking.

Please take the last word if you wish. I'm done with your act.

[slackmaster]

59. I really don't care about persuading anyone about anything

I just like pointing out and ridiculing hypocrisy, ignorance, and bullshit.

[glowing]

70. Its not a political expression or first ammendment same as analagy as you are implying.

This carnaval set up this up as a money making enterprise. What is it normally, pay $3.00, get 3 shots. Pay $5.00, get 6 darts? They are not making a political statement, but rather using the image and game of shooting the president to make money... hoping that the place in which they have set up shot (rural, racist, Christo-fascist land), will make them quite the buck. It wasn't until "outsiders" saw the carnaval act that the man had to back track and remove the exhibit.

Also, this carnaval, if traveling, probably would not choose to display this "Alien Invasion" display in or around a metropolitan area or an area with a town or area with high diversity. This display was intentionally geared to grab the over the top accusations of Beck and Hannity and Limbaugh and all the other idiot Palinistas types in order to make money. Alien invasion pulls directly at the "birther" movement and "other" that they love to make the President into.. which de-huminizes him into sub-human, rather than President, politician, husband, and father of two girls. They displayed a belt that said The Prez.. slurring the name of the highest office of the land and refusing to recognize the full extent of that name. Then he is holding onto the health reform bill.. which is highly charged within the tea party, republican, neo-con, racist, christo-fascist legion circle.

This had nothing to do with political or protestation. This was a crafted money making scheme. It directly used people's fears and lothing and general unrest in order to earn a profit. It also gave people the ability to shoot the President for a couple of bucks. I would be interested in #1 how much money it had gained and #2 who had spent money in this economy to "shoot" the President's image at a carnaval.

[slackmaster]

75. Someone wrote a computer game called Hail To The Chimp and made money off it too

It directly used people's fears and lothing and general unrest in order to earn a profit. It also gave people the ability to shoot the President for a couple of bucks.

Same thing, different President.

[glowing]

89. Then use that as your same as example and not protest images.

[woo me with science]

64. I also thought WTF when I read that. nt

[SemperEadem]

25. Why do you have a picture of a black man, period, as a target?

why not a picture of your 5 yr old granddaughter as the target?

Shooting a black man. Really?

[slackmaster]

31. Osama bin Laden is pretty popular

Few people object to that.

(It's just a piece of paper, people.)

[mbperrin]

42. Nope. It isn't. Get a degree in sociology, anthropology, or even

English with an emphasis on meaning, and we'll talk.

[slackmaster]

44. I have a degree in psychology, and I understand English quite well

Creating and attacking an effigy of a political figure is an exercise of free speech, no matter how repugnant you or I anyone else finds it.

The fact that it bothers you so much suggests to me that it had the desired effect. You have some control over that. I don't.

[mbperrin]

63. NOW it's an effigy, rather than just a piece of paper, eh? So you do know

the difference; you were just trying to mislead me and others?

Exercise of free speech for white folks, perhaps. Locally, we had the son of a foreign-born professor who was turned in to the FBI by his drunk wife after a domestic argument as being a threat to the President then - *Bush. They arrested him at work the next day. Even after she told them she was just drunk and angry and there was no truth to it, it took two years to find out where he was, and another year to get him released.

Yes, his parents came here after the Shah fell.

Now, if you'll pardon me while I exercise some free speech in hoping Cheney the Dick gets everything he's got coming from the universe, no matter how much pain is involved for him and everyone related to him by choice, law, or DNA.

[slackmaster]

79. I don't have a problem with anyone creating and attacking an effigy of anyone else

It's a long human tradition that serves to relieve frustration and anger without causing actual harm.

[mbperrin]

87. So it's now definitely personifying someone in particular, right? NOT just a piece of paper,

as you claimed earlier.

Gosh, yes, what could go wrong with burning stuff?






















There are those Klan guys, but that's just blowing off steam, apparently, no real harm done by burning stuff.....

[slackmaster]

90. I acknowledged that the target was in fact an effigy in reply #43

I don't recall ever posting that the target in this particular incident was "just a piece of paper".

[mbperrin]

94. (It's just a piece of paper, people.)

Your post #31.

Should I have to be researching your own posts for you?

[slackmaster]

95. Nice job of taking my remark out of context

:rofl:

[mbperrin]

88. No comment at all about the racism and privilege of protest in this country

given to whites?

What kind of psych did you study?

[Jax]

92. Great question

you won't get an answer.

[SemperEadem]

73. so a picture of a 5 yr old child would do just as nicely

since all it is is a piece of paper.

in fact, how about you offering up a picture of your children to use as target practice, since all it is is a piece of paper.

[slackmaster]

77. I hate kids. That wouldn't bother me at all.

I also have a thick skin, and a strong ability to think abstractly.

I doubt that anyone could post anything on DU Forums that would offend me, without also violating the posting rules.

[Jax]

93. "I hate kids"

I knew you were a hater, so obvious from all that right wing bs you post, like the rethug haters.

[iandhr]

27. there not sorry

they just got caught

[Permanut]

29. Okay, so it wasn't President Obama

Good said the image did not portray President Obama, so the only conclusion I can come to is that it portrays one of our other black Presidents. Oh, wait...

[beam me up scottie]

33. Jesus Christ.

Can't he be arrested for that?

[slackmaster]

37. Very unlikely

Unless the Secret Service sees the activity as a "credible threat" to the President.

It's in fantastically poor taste, but legal.

[beam me up scottie]

41. Damn. I was under the impression that the Secret Service didn't have much of a sense of humour.

Otoh, arresting him would make him a martyr for Tea-baggers...

[slackmaster]

45. The Border Patrol is famous for lacking a sense of humor

So is the TSA. Members of the Secret Service have traditionally been of much higher intellectual caliber.

[beam me up scottie]

48. Depends on who's calling the shots, I guess.

I doubt Obama would want to give this guy any more attention.

[beam me up scottie]

39. "Alien Invasion"? I'm surprised he didn't include pictures of Mexicans too.

Seriously.

[woo me with science]

65. Bwah! nt

[Jefferson23]

50. Sick schmucks. I hope Obama's children don't hear about this garbage. n/t

[Canuckistanian]

61. "I didn't mean ALL BLACKS were banned from the lunch counter"

"Just the ones who came into my restaurant"

[Walk away]

66. I really wish we could give people like this some land and let them secede.

If they can't evolve fast enough to keep up then they should be allowed to stay behind in the wood someplace.

[Turborama]

68. Why can't Republicon assholes ever own up and give an unqualified apology using the word sorry?

"we made an error in judgment and we apologise for that"

What about a simple, "we know it was wrong and are sorry for what we did"?

[Judi Lynn]

69. No doubt it's because they, like Nixon, and crew, have ALL lost their "moral compasses."

I am absolutely convinced they KNOW they are lying, cheating, stealing, they couldn't care less, and they will NEVER be sorry, no matter how much destruction, damage, suffering they cause.

Who could EVER imagine this many losers could exist in our world?



http://www.lesliebyrne.org.nyud.net:8090/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/teabaggers.jpg http://2.bp.blogspot.com.nyud.net:8090/_HyyDHyAwI6k/SeaW3La1xGI/AAAAAAAAFAo/MIye7zuouJg/s400/tea+party+protest.jpg

[Ian David]

78. He either knew or should have known.

http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/slate-belt/index.ssf/2010/08/alien_obama_targeted_in_big_ti.html

[mikeytherat]

80. The Secret Service is investigating this:

http://www.mcall.com/news/breaking/mc-president-obama-target-game-20100804,0,5344153.story

A clear effigy of President Obama, with "kill" targets - one on the head, one on the heart. Enjoy explaining "error in judgment" to the men in black, assholes.

mikey_the_rat

[slackmaster]

83. I think they'll let it slide when they learn that only foam darts were being fired at the target

Not even pointy metal ones.

[mikeytherat]

84. The targets on the head and heart, though, might not pass muster.

mikey_the_rat

[RamboLiberal]

85. The belt buckle "The Prez says"

eagle-emblazoned belt buckle reading, "The Prez Says."

http://www.philly.com/inquirer/local/20100805_Obama-like_target_in_carnival_game_stirs_outrage.html

[classysassy]

91. Mr Good you are a bad lier.

[otohara]

96. Chicken Shit Shut Down PA Website

http://www.jtmonline.com/goodtime/

Big man defends freedom of speech then doesn't allow us to speak back.