Sign Of The Times? Anti-Obama Billboard In Missouri
By Justin Gardner | Related entries in 2008 Election, Barack, Missouri, Partisan Nonsense
A billboard in West Plains showing a caricature of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama wearing a turban and using his middle name — Hussein — in quotes has sparked outrage and accusations of racism. [...]Outrage over the sign triggered West Plains resident Becky Estes to write a letter in Monday’s edition of the Daily Quill newspaper saying “such a tasteless display merely reinforces the wide-spread belief that Ozarkers are ignorant country bumpkins.” [...]
“I can find nothing wrong with this sign/cartoon, which is truthful by Obama’s own statements,” wrote James E. (Jay) Gentry Jr. of Mountain Grove. “If this is upsetting to Ms. Estes, then she should do some hard thinking about what is forthcoming if he is elected.”
Raymond Fine, 74, of West Plains, said the sign is a form of free speech.
“If they can burn a flag, then they can put a sign up like that,” Fine told the News-Leader.
This makes me feel sorry for whoever put this together, and I think what’s telling is that they choose to remain anonymous. In my opinion, if you’re going to put out something like this, have the decency to identify yourself.
Moving on…
This entry was posted on Sunday, October 12th, 2008 and is filed under 2008 Election, Barack, Missouri, Partisan Nonsense. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
October 12th, 2008 at 1:04 pm
Burn it!
Burn it to the ground.
October 12th, 2008 at 1:37 pm
I love it, the Rethugs are only digging their own grave, and ensuring that the Dems will be the new majority party for the next 30-40 years, in ten years we’ll be talking about the 2008 realignment
October 12th, 2008 at 3:01 pm
Forgot to mention earlier…
If this sign is private land, then somebody’s paying taxes on the land.
Which means there are probably tax records… which are quite often public documents.
The name of the person that owns the land will be coming out quite soon… by Tuesday, if not sooner, I should think.
–Ag
October 12th, 2008 at 3:21 pm
I think it is a true/accurate depiction of Obama and his beliefs. Just take a look at the company he keeps(and close), Rev. Wright, Rev. Phelegan, Farrakahn and Bill Ayers and the like. I truely believe that he is right on track with them, as far as philosophy goes. Just look at his CHARACTER it is dispicable!
October 12th, 2008 at 3:25 pm
Whe I was a wee lad there was a billboard up in my community that was just as infuriating as this one, and a couple of balloons filled with paint kinda distorted the message. Not that I recommend that.
October 12th, 2008 at 4:34 pm
It is no more self serving or wrong than a super obama t shirt
October 12th, 2008 at 5:40 pm
Clearly the only reason failures like these are so horrified by abortion is because they’re society’s bottom-of-the-barrel that, given the circumstances, would have been aborted themselves.
October 12th, 2008 at 6:13 pm
I noticed this posted with great approval on another feed. Being the fearless little link clicker that I am, I followed the poster’s links right back to Storm Front. Lovely.
And Cheryle? You, and the other little Neocons need to get a grip. Some conservatives would like their party back sometime in the near future. I’ve been waiting since Ronnie handed it over to Jerry and Pat in the 80s.
October 12th, 2008 at 6:20 pm
Like we needed those beliefs to be reinforced? I already knew that from my many travels in the south. Nice people, but lacking in critical thinking skills.
October 12th, 2008 at 9:07 pm
Free speech,
it’s a bi@ch.
October 12th, 2008 at 9:19 pm
The first amendment seems safe in missouri. Its racist and propagandist and lame, but its not illegal. If you saw this on the internet you would just hit the “next” Button. So its on the side of a road. Whatever. I have more faith in this country than to believe anyone other then 10-20 people would take that seriously.
October 12th, 2008 at 9:20 pm
Cheryle, you should have just said, ” I’m one of those nuts who believes Obama is a Muslim despite a resounding lack of evidence and/or common sense” so I could have stopped reading right there.
October 12th, 2008 at 9:24 pm
Obama and Biden have, to my dismay, declared they do not support gay marriages.
Obama does not support raising taxes.
Obama does not support partial-term abortions.
Obama is not for banning guns.
If they got even ONE thing right, fine. But every last thing on that billboard is a lie.
October 12th, 2008 at 9:36 pm
I just want to know what all the fascination with his middle name is. My grandfathers name is Hussein so is my cousins. It simply translates into “beauty” or “handsome”. Much like the word “Madrasa” used to insight fear into the minds of people is the literal translation of the word “school”. Its all this racism that’s tearing this country apart and is exactly why we need Obama.
October 12th, 2008 at 11:07 pm
Anyone who watches a news channel other than Fox News should now know that Sen. Obama is not a close friend to most of the people Cheryle mentioned, especially Bill Ayers. And even if he was, I’m sure that Ayers is not the same person he was when he founded the Weather Underground. And to my knowledge he was never convicted of much of anything. It’s when people aren’t informed that they come to these conclusions.
I personally think we need a person younger than the 72 in the White House, and don’t think for a minute that Sarah Palin should be that person if something should happen to Sen. McCain. I mean, he’s 72 years old, for crying out loud, and Palin is nowhere near qualified. McCain used her extreme Right thinking as a way to rally the conservative base. Nothing more, nothing less. But have you ever heard her speak? Yeah, she’s got spunk; yeah she’s an attractive woman; no she is not the brightest bulb in the box. It’s like Dan Quayle to the 10th power.
Also… Hello!!! Can you say “Keating Five”? What about “Troopergate”? McCain’s past is certainly sparkling. Of course, he’s had 25 more years to screw up.
I have a theory that if McCain were to win the election that the Conservative Right will have him assassinated so Gov. Palin assumes the Presidency. I have no proof of this, but apparently that doesn’t matter anymore.
October 12th, 2008 at 11:08 pm
There is nothing wrong with the sign I have seen far worse signs in the city limits of St. Louis about McCain and I don’t see any outrage here about that. Hypocrites.
October 12th, 2008 at 11:14 pm
@smilidon
Let’s see some photographic proof and I’ll consider posting it.
Until then, don’t go throwing insults around here. It’s not welcome.
October 13th, 2008 at 12:07 pm
The McCain/Palin Crowds…
America, this is half of your country: “Terrorist” “Arab” “Kill Him”. Maybe we shouldn’t just be scared of November 4th, but of what will happen if Obama wins too.
Enjoy what you read? Subscribe to Prose Be…
October 13th, 2008 at 2:42 pm
Prose: half the country thinks Obama is a terrorist and wants to kill him? Really? Come on, these people are a minority and getting smaller all the time.
October 13th, 2008 at 4:25 pm
Okay, I have lived in West Plains all of my life and I feel the need to defend my town. While it’s true that some here are racist, we aren’t all that way. The maker of the sign is responsible for the words he published, not our entire town. I actually read some postings on other sites where people were afraid to come to our town, thinking that they wouldn’t make it back. That’s really stretching it. Sure, we are country folks, like to hunt, fish, watch NASCAR, etc. But that doesn’t mean that all of us are as crazy as the man who posted the billboard.
October 13th, 2008 at 5:00 pm
Holly,
Yeah, it’s pretty crazy, but I don’t think most rational people think that everybody in your town is like that OR that anybody is in danger.
Also, the article above pretty clearly states that citizens of West Plains take issue with the billboard. I wanted to make sure I featured that so as to not paint an entire town with a broad brush of bigotry.
In any event, I appreciate you sharing your thoughts. Please tell others in West Plains to come and post their thoughts here.
October 13th, 2008 at 5:23 pm
This is freaking wrong. I’m so sick of the freaking hatred. This man has a Obama has alot of support in Missouri and I hope Obama/Biden win Missouri.
October 13th, 2008 at 5:45 pm
You Democans and Republicrats are hilarious. You actually think either side has your best interests in mind. But hey, you also think it’s a free country - so go ahead and argue on and on over all the trivial peanuts the two-party system and their bought-and-paid-for media throw at you.
Enjoy your shackles.
HFB
October 18th, 2008 at 3:50 pm
My wife and I moved to Missouri a couple of weeks ago from Memphis. I saw this exact billboard driving up Highway 63 heading into West Plains. I just shook my head and wondered what we were getting into moving into an area (Waynesville) not too far from there.
In defense of West Plains though I must say that everyone we have ever come into contact with there has been nothing but nice. We always pit stop there on the way to and from Memphis because it’s roughly halfway. The folks there seem really nice but I have to admit that as an African-American seeing that sign on the day we were making our final move to Missouri made me a bit nervous.
October 18th, 2008 at 5:27 pm
[...] Sign Of The Times? Anti-Obama Billboard In Missouri [...]
October 20th, 2008 at 10:06 am
They want this election to be a referendum on race, that’s why they are calling white people racist (Lewis, Murtha et al) so they people will for vote Barack Obama to prove themselves not a racist. Thus overlooking the fact that he is a Marxist.
October 20th, 2008 at 9:06 pm
I’m a 45 year old white man who has lived in Missouri most of my life and it never fails to amaze me the number of lame-brained, redneck, uneducated, backward-ass, inbred, moronic country bumkins there are here.
If this ass is so proud of his opinion, then he should put his name on the sign.
I do agree that he has the right to his point of view. No matter how ignorant it is.
October 22nd, 2008 at 5:36 pm
Shows what “Real America” is like.
October 24th, 2008 at 10:11 pm
Carl, why is it “free enterprise” to give tax money to companies that made bad investments, but “socialism” to raise taxes on multi-millionaires, but lower taxes on the middle class? Because your Republican brain-washers told you so?