Posted 10:01 PM by Floyd

I can't stop thinking about the two commies who wanted TomPaine.com to stop using Osama Bin Laden's image on the grounds that it would promote hatred against "Arabs, Muslims, Americans, immigrants and communities of color in general". What is the alternative? It is helpful, especially on television, to produce images of people who are making news. Famous people have been photographed since the days of Andrew Jackson. (He was a US president. I think he's dead by now.)

Do Flambures and Khoury-Wallman advocate censorship to make sure that the media do not use any images that inflame people's emotions? If so, I imagine that under such a regime there would be an image somewhere of Osama. It would be available only to specially trained and qualified professionals:

Woman Behind Desk: May I help you?

Floyd McWilliams: My name is Floyd McWilliams. I'm here to see the photograph of Osama Bin Laden. It's okay because I'm a medical doctor. This is my assistant, Nurse Guy-from-Forbes.com.

Guy From Forbes.Com: My name is not "Guy-from-Forbes.com".

Floyd McWilliams: Don't worry about him. He was "othered" recently and isn't quite back to normal.

Guy From Forbes.Com: What the hell kind of name is "Guy-from-Forbes.com" anyway?

Floyd McWilliams: Comanche Indian.

Woman Behind Desk: May I see your paperwork?

Floyd McWilliams: Sure, here and here and here and here and here and here.

Guy From Forbes.Com: And here. See, this is my driver's license and it shows my real name.

Woman Behind Desk: Okay ... Your White Male Apology and Grovelling Certificate is up-to-date ... Blood count shows maximum levels of Zoloft and Prozac ... No dangerous beliefs, religions, hobbies ... Voice recordings in last three months show no sexual harassment or interest in pornography. We'll have the Osama picture here in twenty minutes.

Floyd McWilliams: Twenty minutes! Is it in a secure vault?

Woman Behind Desk: No, just union regulations.

Floyd McWilliams: Damn government unions -- I mean, they slave you to the bone! I expected to wait here an hour!

...

Woman Behind Desk: Here you go.

Floyd McWilliams: Long scraggly beard ... greying hair ... that's what the buzzard looks like, huh? You know, for some reason I had him pictured as that dopey bartender from Cheers.