Saturday, June 23, 2012

Update: White House Disapproves Flipping Off Reagan

From Fox News: The White House on Friday rebuked two visitors who were photographed last week at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue flipping the middle finger below a portrait of the late President Ronald Reagan. 
The guests had been invited to a reception last Friday marking gay pride month. The images of them -- with both middle fingers raised, pointing up toward Reagan -- were first published by Philadelphia Magazine.
The White House did not approve. 
"While the White House does not control the conduct of guests at receptions, we certainly expect that all attendees conduct themselves in a respectful manner. Most all do," Shin Inouye, a White House spokesman, said. "These individuals clearly did not. Behavior like this doesn’t belong anywhere, least of all in the White House." 
Photographer Zoe Strauss and Matty Hart, national director for public engagement at the group Solutions for Progress, had posted the images of themselves to Facebook. 
Hart, under his, wrote simply: "F--- Reagan."
Well, it's nice to know that the White House does not approve of flipping off Reagan's portrait in the White House.  However, considering the number of staff at the White House, I am sure someone knew about it when it happened.  I cannot imagine there is any room in the White House that is not guarded with Secret Service or House staff, if only for security reasons, so someone saw it, I am quite sure but probably either agreed or didn't think it was a big deal, until they were caught.
While these buffons do not represent all gay people, they obviously have some influence or power to be invited to the White House, so, these are not random people, as my friend Jamie suggests.
But in the end, I am glad the White House rebuked these jerks, even if it was a week it happened.

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