My letter to the New Yorker:
I was shocked to see a reproduction of the cover to your July 21st issue on Americablog.
There is absolutely no excuse for publishing this canard. It is outrageous to suggest that Barack Obama and his wife are terrorists. I must assume, in charity, that your intent is to mock those who have spread rumors to that effect. If that is your intent, you have failed miserably, and have merely reinforced these racist lies. I realize that some of your covers have employed similar devices, but never regarding an issue as inflammatory as this, or one likely to have an impact beyond the people who are intelligent enough to “get” your intended meaning. Those of us who do not actually live in the upper reaches of New York society are painfully aware that there are a lot of stupid people in this country whose beliefs about Obama will be reinforced by your attempt at … humor?
My wife and I have subscribed to the New Yorker for years. It will be difficult, if not impossible, for us to see our way clear to continuing our subscription.
This appears to be the year of not funny under any circumstances political humor. Almost any joke by John McCain would do, but his “joke” about killing Iranians is the best case in point. There is no way you can joke about killing ordinary people who have done you no harm. It’s pretty hard with wife beating too.
On the other hand, if he told more jokes he might spend less time revealing his abysmal foreign policy ignorance (remember, that’s the stuff he claims he knows something about). Apparently, he just can’t let Czechoslovakia go.
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