See my new post - CafePress has now also decided to withdraw the "Obama Psalm 109:8" products!
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Yesterday I posted a blog about the new "Pray for Obama - Psalm 109:8" right-wing products which are the latest craze amongst the wingnuts and are for sale for example on "CafePress". In this blog, I explained the religious background of the psalm, after being alerted by a segment on Rachel Maddow where this issue was being discussed.
On Rachel Maddow, Frank Schaeffer gave a passionate plea to stop these religious extremists who in barely coded messages express their hope that President Obama would somehow ...well... be removed from office, whatever it takes.
Psalm 109:8 stickers were on sale also on this anti-Obama and pro-Palin website, at which the products are provided by CafePress, but then disappeared from the website at a later point yesterday. They are still not available again on this website.
So it seemed that CafePress had taken the right steps and banned these hateful products.
Unfortunately, this turned out to be wrong.
CafePress today sent around the following statement:
Dear ...,
Thank you for contacting CafePress.com!
Cafepress looks at content on a case by case basis, and makes decisions about what content is permissible based on our content usage policy.
Anti-presidential gear has been a mainstay at Cafepress since we were founded in 1999 and has become a key component of political discourse. Our site has become a cultural barometer of public opinion and as such designs often come into question. In managing our content we are trying to protect self expression, while making sure we are not advocating violence.
We initially pulled the Psalm 109:8 content from our products today because broader media dialog indicated that these designs potentially suggested violence towards the president. Based on current public discourse and further review of the actual content, we have determined that it is fair political commentary and we are in the process of reinstating this merchandise. As with all of our content, these designs will continue to be reviewed and if at any time their meaning is construed as advocating violence we will revisit our decision.
Your ticket code is LTK419085799243X. Please use this code in any further communication.
Best Regards,
Margene H.
Content Usage Associate
(650) 655-3104 (O)
(650) 240-0260 (F)
www.cafepress.com
So that's "fair public commentary" then?
Funny, that's also what this guy here believes - he also has no hesitation to speak out what these Christian extremists REALLY think - he explains what Psalm 109 REALLY means to him:
Because what they think is that Psalm 109:8 has to be seen in context with Psalm 109:9, which reads:
“Let his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow.”
The "Obama Psalm 109:8" products are back on the CafePress website - here is a screenshot I just made (click to enlarge):
Well - what "CafePress" should pray for is that no lunatic will wear one of their "Psalm 109:8" t-shirts while trying to assassinate President Obama!
Fortunately, their competitor "Zazzle" has decided differently. They issued a statement on Wednesday which read:
Statement on Psalm 109 Products
By zazzlemike
Dear Zazzle Member or Concerned Citizen—
Today, there has surfaced a great deal of discussion and debate over certain products in the Zazzle Marketplace which reference text from Psalm 109 in combination with reference to President Barack Obama. We at Zazzle are aware of the issue, and would like to take this opportunity to respond in a unified and public fashion to all parties and viewpoints.
Zazzle puts great value on its Marketplace as a forum for discussion and debate of the issues of our day. We are proud of the fact that no matter how arcane or apparently esoteric a subject may be, there can often be found Zazzle products pertaining to it. We are particularly sensitive to Zazzle as an open forum for the expression and debate of political viewpoints. The rigorous debate and discussion of political issues, including candidates for political office, our elected leaders, and pending and actual legislation, is something that drives the very democracy that in turn allows for our freedom as citizens to make these expressions in the first place.
With that in mind, it is only after great thought that we have determined that these products, in the context of the full text of Psalm 109, may be interpreted in such a way as to suggest physical harm to the President of the United States. In deference to the Office of the President of the United States, and in accordance with federal law prohibiting the making of threats against the physical wellbeing of the President of the United States, Zazzle has therefore determined that these products are in violation of the Zazzle User Agreement and not appropriate for inclusion in the Zazzle Marketplace. We have begun efforts to remove them from our website, and we will be vigilant to the publication of similar products moving forward.
Zazzle will continue to allow and encourage the submission of products that express disapproval or approval of the President’s policies and actions, but Zazzle will not permit products that may be interpreted to suggest violence toward the President.
Sincerely,
The Zazzle Team
Therefore, there is an alternative to "CafePress", and these people are actually using their brains. Well done, Zazzle!
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UPDATE:
It took a little while until all "Obama Psalm 109:8" products had been removed from Zazzle (see the comments in the lively discussion on Daily Kos). It appears that Zazzle had acted swiftly after being alerted of some remaining "Obama Psalm 109:8" products. The search with the words "Psalm 109" on the Zazzle website shows that apparently all of the controversial products are gone now:
On the CafePress website, the same search reveals that all the "Obama Psalm 109:8" products are still available on CafePress.
This is very bad judgement on part of CafePress, and also incredibly naive. If anything happens to President Obama, it is possible that people will blame them, too.
Please click on the title of the blogpost or CLICK HERE before using the toolbar below for sharing.
On the CafePress website, the same search reveals that all the "Obama Psalm 109:8" products are still available on CafePress.
This is very bad judgement on part of CafePress, and also incredibly naive. If anything happens to President Obama, it is possible that people will blame them, too.
Please click on the title of the blogpost or CLICK HERE before using the toolbar below for sharing.
