PENNSYLVANIA: Catholic Church Uses Obama Target In Carnival Game

[WillParkinson]

PENNSYLVANIA: Catholic Church Uses Obama Target In Carnival Game

Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church and a local Pennsylvania amusement company are being investigated by the Secret Service after they created a likeness of the president to use as a shooting target in a carnival midway game.

The game's target is a painting of a black man in a suit who is holding a scroll labeled "Health Bill." He sports a belt buckle fashioned after the presidential seal, antennae and a troll doll on his shoulder. Players paid $1 per shot, or $5 for six shots, to fire foam darts at targets on his head and heart. Those who hit their mark won a stuffed animal. Cindy Wofford, special agent in charge of the Philadelphia office of the Secret Service, said her agents are looking into the game and will determine if there were any direct or indirect threats to the president. They will share their findings with the U.S. attorney's office. "We take these kinds of things very seriously," Wofford said.

The Rev. Jim Prior of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, a parish of the Catholic Diocese of Allentown, was not available for comment, according to a woman who answered the phone Wednesday at the church. Matt Kerr, spokesman for the diocese, said Prior would have pulled the game if he'd known it was there. But Kathryn Chapman of Medford, Mass., said her family told the church about the game. She visited the fair July 24 as part of her family's reunion, which has been held in Roseto for decades to celebrate the family's roots in the borough, named after Roseto Valfortore of Italy. She said her brother, Bob, noticed the game the night before and told her she had to see it. When she visited the next day with her 14-year-old son, she said, she was flabbergasted. "I couldn't believe they would have a game where you could shoot any president, George W. Bush or President Obama, and that there were targets on his forehead and heart, and that you would win a prize for shooting the target," Chapman said. "You got a stuffed animal for becoming a sniper," she said.

The stunned fair-goer quoted above says she complained to the carnival's operators and was told, "We don't care what you think." The game has since been taken down now that the Secret Service is involved.

http://joemygod.blogspot.com/2010/08/pennsylvania-catholic-church-uses-obama.html

[slackmaster]

1. Absolutely outrageous that anyone would make an image of a President and charge money

...for people to fire foam darts at it. Have they no respect for the office?

Do they think this is some kind of GAME?



K&R for the most accurate, objective subject line on any of the multiple threads that have been posted about this incident.

:kick:

[mnhtnbb]

2. Somebody needs to remind the Catholic Church of the first and greatest commandment

[slackmaster]

5. Do you mean "I am the LORD your God"?

Or "You shall have no other gods before me"? (Most scholars regard "I am the LORD your God" as a preamble.)

Or were you thinking of "You shall not make for yourself a carved image--any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth."

How does that apply to President Obama?

:hide:

[mnhtnbb]

7. See below

One of the Pharisees tested Jesus with a question, "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" (Matthew 22:36 NIV). Jesus replied, " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments" (Matthew 22:37-40 NIV).

[no_hypocrisy]

3. This is serious on several levels.

And don't forget on the day that President Kennedy was shot, Dallas had "Dead Or Alive" posters up with the President's face. These "expressions" not protected by the First Amendment.

[AngryOldDem]

4. I just love how good Christians have the bloodlust.

And I call BULLSHIT on the pastor not knowing what was in his own damned carnival. While parish priests are not directly involved in the planning of such things, they do have to know what's going on on their own grounds, and are responisble for events held under their churches' names. If they aren't, then they well ought to be.

Just watch -- the blowhard Bill Donohue from the Catholic League will stomp his way into this and claim persecution of the poor, pitiful Catholic Church by the feds.

[UTUSN]

6. K&R #5 n/t

[BrklynLiberal]

8. Wow! That is incredible....

:wow:

I agree, it is VERY hard to believe that the Rev Jim Prior did not know about this....

and the explanation by the owner of the amusement company is pure, unadulterated bullshit.

<snip>
Irvin Good Jr., president of Goodtime Amusements, said Wednesday he didn't imean to offend anyone by offering "Alien Attack" at the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Big Time fair in Roseto. But the game sparked a complaint.

"I guess we made an error in judgment, and we apologize for that," said Good, who has had the game for about six weeks. "I voted for the man. It wasn't meant to be him. If they took it that way, we apologize." riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight

The game's target is a painting of a black man in a suit who is holding a scroll labeled "Health Bill." He sports a belt buckle fashioned after the presidential seal, antennae and a troll doll on his shoulder.

Players paid $1 per shot, or $5 for six shots, to fire foam darts at targets on his head and heart. Those who hit their mark won a stuffed animal.

<snip>

[woodsprite]

And calling it 'alien attack'. Could be a teabagger's

dig to his birth certificate too. I hope the Secret Service does a thorough investigation of the situation - whether it was the carney that set that up, if the church knew about it, etc.

[BrklynLiberal]

12. +100

[jberryhill]

13. To be fair - lots of space aliens have health bills and presidential seals on the belt /nt

[BrklynLiberal]

16. Golly gee. Now that you mention it...................

:crazy:

[jberryhill]

21. Remember what Obama said at the Al Smith Dinner? /nt

[AngryOldDem]

19. That is one disturbing picture.

"It wasn't meant to be him."

Oh, really? So the color of the target and the suit and the paper he is holding marked HEALTH BILL was all just an unfortunate coincidence? Really?

[BrklynLiberal]

24. They all think we are as stupid as they are....

[NEOhiodemocrat]

30. Like shooting at the picture of a random black man is any better?

[AngryOldDem]

43. Exactly,

The guy should just shut up. His foot is already halfway through his ass.

[slackmaster]

32. I find it disturbing for one reason in particular - The Nerf weapon is being fired by a young child

It's a bad message to be giving to children.

If it was just adults at a private party sitting around drinking beer, that would be very different.

[Poboy]

26. POS liars. I believe that is a voilation of one of the big ten as well. -nt

[slackmaster]

33. Lying in general is not considered to be a sin

Bearing false witness is.

[MajorChode]

34. Only against your neighbor and they don't believe Obama was born here

So that makes it all OK.

[jberryhill]

9. "Parish Outreach Person - Rose Slutz" - from their webpage

Man, they must have a GREAT outreach program.

I can see the annual dinner:

"Our outreach has become very popular after we hired Slutz."

[slackmaster]

LOL!

Great name.

[jberryhill]

14. She's starting a "reach-around" program /nt

[Maru Kitteh]

10. Can we revoke their tax-exempt status NOW?

[slackmaster]

11. AMEN to that!

Tax the churches, the synagogues, the mosques, the temples, the orgs, etc.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

15. Wait, what, a church was involved in this? I didn't know. -nt

[BrklynLiberal]

17. Shocked? surprised? Amazed? Disappointed? Nauseous?

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

22. No, no, no, way beyond that, yes. -nt

[BrklynLiberal]

25. me too.

:thumbsup:

[City Lights]

18. Ah, what a fine display of Christianity.

:puke:

[malaise]

20. They would not have allowed the game's target to be

their pedophile protecting pope.

[The Straight Story]

23. From the article I posted yesterday on this (nice hit piece on the headline/church at link)

The president of a Hellertown-based amusement company apologized Wednesday for a target shooting game depicting the image of a black man that appears to be President Barack Obama.

Irvin Good Jr., president of Goodtime Amusements, said he did not intend to offend anyone by offering the game, called "Alien Attack," which recently appeared at the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Big Time Fair in Roseto and sparked a complaint.

"I guess we made an error in judgment and we apologize for that," said Good, who has had the game for about six weeks. "I voted for the man. It wasn't meant to be him. If they took it that way, we apologize."

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x8878614

Notice the carnival sets up the games, owns then, etc. The church hires the company to come in and put on a show - I doubt the pope was hanging out checking all the games to make sure they are Kosher.

More: "Good said the game's design periodically changes and has again been changed to no longer depict the image of the man. It was designed by one of his workers, Good said, and he should have realized it would create a problem. Goodtime Amusements has been in business for 26 years, he said.
"

If this had occured on land owned by a synagouged would the headline read : "Jews Uses Obama Target In Carnival Game?" or would that be considered a little...I dunno..baiting?

[jberryhill]

27. I've been to a lot of church carnivals

Two of the Catholic carnivals in my area are signature public events.

The priests, nuns, and staff aren't locked away somewhere while the carnival goes on.

You find me the Catholic carnival where the clerical staff and lay administrators aren't out and about on the grounds.

This is a fairly small church. It's not like someone came and put up Disney World in the parking lot.

Who was attending this carnival? Folks from some foreign country?

Hey, I know... the church didn't know what was in their parking lot, the amusement manager didn't know who painted the sign... maybe NOBODY was responsible.

[RamboLiberal]

35. You are correct

We have a lot of these church fairs in my area of PA as well - mostly Catholic though some protestant churches put on as well. As well as VFD & little community fairs.

Some do their own games, many bring in these carnival companies. Normally the priests (and nuns if they still have) are out and about most nights talking to the parishioners. Or in case of VFD or community the reps of the organization/community. Police as well.

And the fairs are heavily attended by parishioners. It is disturbing that none of the members except this one former student from out of state objected to the obvious here.

The president represented in this way!

The black president represented this way!

Even just shooting at a black man as a target!

Hello!

And no one else said Boo.

That parish and many in this country need some deep soul-searching.

[rbrnmw]

39. Sometimes I am ashamed to be Catholic

[K8-EEE]

42. I became ashamed of it, so I left!

It's great to be an ex-Catholic! I highly recommend it.

[rbrnmw]

45. Seriously thinking about it It's been taken over by wackos

[MajorChode]

37. False analogy

The headline didn't say, "Catholics Use Obama Target In Carnival Game"

The headline didn't even say, "The Roman Catholic Church Uses Obama Target In Carnival Game"

The headline said, "Catholic Church Uses Obama Target In Carnival Game"

So you are extrapolating quite a bit here which I don't believe is reasonable. I don't know the arrangement with the carnival operator and the church. However, clearly they had control of that operator per the article and that particular image was there at least on two different days. So the church either did know about it, or should have known about it.

[hedgehog]

40. I don't buy the excuse - Nothing, but nothing happens on the grounds

of a parish without the pastor's say-so.

[AngryOldDem]

44. Nope. Plausible deniability doesn't work here.

Unlike some in the Church, the buck always stops at the priest at the parish level. He should know and approve of what goes on under his church's name -- goes double if it's on his property.

An example, although not as blatant as this: Back in 2004 there was a lot of nastiness in my area over Bush/Kerry, car vandalism in particular. I had a Kerry sticker on my car. When I left Mass one day, someone had stuck a phamplet about why Catholics could not vote for Kerry under my windshield. The next day I contacted the church to let them know that this was not acceptable, and that incidences of vandalism were rampant, and that it would behoove the parish to stop this pronto. The very next Sunday there was a large item in the bulletin about how things were not to be left on cars in the lot, and that ushers would be watching. That pastor understood his responsibility in that case.

At the very least the thing was undeniably racist. If it were named "Alien Attack," then why not have a target of a little green blob from outer space or something?

ON EDIT: Nothing was left on my car -- or anybody else's -- through the rest of the election season.

[KamaAina]

28. "You got a stuffed animal for becoming a sniper"

Let me guess: a stuffed elephant? :eyes:

[Bitwit1234]

29. Shouldn't that be against the law after all a pre teenager wore

a T Shirt saying something negative about George Bush and secret service men showed up at his school. Scared the devil out of him, by questioning him without parental consent and threatened him so he had to remove the T Shirt. And these jokers get to try to kill President Obama. The should have rounded them up and arrested them.

[RamboLiberal]

36. Well the Secret Service is looking in to

I think this clown owning this company is getting a tough lesson today.

[GreatCaesarsGhost]

31. and this was the one carnival game that wasn't fixed to lose!

[hedgehog]

38. Let me be the first to say this so I can get the credit -

"no one ever went broke overestimating the ignorance and arrogance of the typical Catholic pastor"

Pastors rule the parishes as their own personal fiefdoms. The only thing unusual about this is that it involved the world beyond the parish. Usually, pastors exhibit this behavior by firing beloved staff members, shutting down an after school basketball program or getting taken to the cleaners in a money making scheme; that kind of thing.

[jberryhill]

41. It's Okay - It wasn't a mosque /nt

[Maru Kitteh]

46. "It wasn't meant to be him" So shooting some other random black guy would be better?