Shame on the NY Post

The New York Post has a long history of tasteless and offensive reporting. I remember the headline, "Headless Body Found in Topless Bar." Ugh! This time, though, they have gone over the line.

A few days ago, a chimpanzee that was kept as a house pet and "acted human" went berserk and mauled a woman who was a guest at the home. The chimp's owner tried to stop it by stabbing it but had to call in the police, and the animal was shot.

As an aside, I don't think it's morally right or smart to keep chimpanzees or other wild animals as pets. This one dressed and bathed himself, drank from a glass and watched TV, but no matter how much he appeared to be "tamed," wild animals are dangerous, and it's cruel to try to fit them into our lives and then have to destroy them when they act like the wild creatures they are.

In any case, the Post published a cartoon showing two policemen with guns drawn standing over a dead chimp, and they're saying, "They'll have to find someone else to write the next stimulus bill!"

Now although they tried to deny it, it is obvious that the dead chimp is supposed to be President Obama, who had just signed the stimulus bill. There's no excuse for something like this. It is racist, disgusting, and completely over the line.

I'm in favor of freedom of speech, but President Obama was elected by a popular majority and an electoral landslide, and he deserves some respect. Besides, this was practically an incitement to violence. Heads should roll over this. There was a protest at the Post headquarters today. I thought of going to it but didn't quite get myself moving fast enough, and at the time when I should have been getting on the subway I was still at the bank taking care of an errand.

I hope the Post receives millions of protest letters. What they did was an abomination.