Protecting the Presidential Seal. No Joke. (NYT: W & The Onion)

[struggle4progress]

KATHARINE Q. SEELYE
Published: October 24, 2005

You might have thought that the White House had enough on its plate late last month, what with its search for a new Supreme Court nominee, the continuing war in Iraq and the C.I.A. leak investigation. But it found time to add another item to its agenda - stopping The Onion, the satirical newspaper, from using the presidential seal.

The newspaper regularly produces a parody of President Bush's weekly radio address on its Web site (www.theonion.com/content/node/40121), where it has a picture of President Bush and the official insignia.

"It has come to my attention that The Onion is using the presidential seal on its Web site," Grant M. Dixton, associate counsel to the president, wrote to The Onion on Sept. 28. (At the time, Mr. Dixton's office was also helping Mr. Bush find a Supreme Court nominee; days later his boss, Harriet E. Miers, was nominated.)

Citing the United States Code, Mr. Dixton wrote that the seal "is not to be used in connection with commercial ventures or products in any way that suggests presidential support or endorsement." Exceptions may be made, he noted, but The Onion had never applied for such an exception. <snip>

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/24/business/24onion.html

[MarsThe Cat]

1. so obviously....

NO right-wing websites use the seal, correct?

[MadAsHellNewYorker]

5. nope, but wake me when they get in trouble

:grr:

[deadparrot]

2. What major league wimps.

They're worried about satire at a time like this?

:rofl:

[struggle4progress]

10. The fall launch of their "Satire in time of war is treason" campaign. eom

[MadAsHellNewYorker]

3. Wow, this reminds me of the war on porn!

dont these people have better things to do? like a war in Iraq to deal with? asshats

[tuvor]

4. Yeah, I've always been confused with that seal on the page.

Let's just banish parody altogether.

[struggle4progress]

11. And they shouldn't be allowed to call it "The Onion" either, because ..

.. I might get confused and try to put it on a hamburger ...

[jefferson_dem]

13. LOL! Oh man, a ringer!

:rofl:

[bluestateguy]

6. Talk about swinging at a pitch in the dirt

This is the highly disciplined, efficient, "on message" White House we have been told about?

Geez. Worrying about a satire newspaper's use of the seal? You don't have the luxury of worrying about that kind of stuff when you are at 39% in the polls.

[goforit]

9. LOL!!!.......Too funny! (I can see him now, striking out)

[Peace Patriot]

22. Wrong! That's just when you start getting fetishistic about the...

...legitimacy of your regime!

If just anybody can use the "Presidential Seal," for godssakes, then maybe it doesn't mean anything; maybe I am...gulp...not the president; maybe I am...oh, no, no...just a guy, just a little, mean, talentless, dudey guy; maybe I am....Lord Jesus save me!...nothing. Maybe I am NOTHING! NOBODY! NOTHING! Oh, God, where's the Great Seal? Where's the Great Seal?

[muriel_volestrangler]

34. Remember when Bush got pissy at a reporter

because he started off by calling him "Sir" instead of "Mr. President"? It's a sign of small-minded fool. I can quite believe that Bush has personally asked for "abuses of the Seal" to be stopped.

[SledDriver]

7. Bush has made a disgrace of the office of POTUS.

For the remainder of his tenure, the Presidential seal should be used as a target in every urinal in the land!

[goforit]

8. Whata ass!!...This guy never earned the Prez seal anyway!!

The Bush family never good deal with humor.

[BrklynLiberal]

12. The Onion has more of a right to the use of that Seal than * and his

administration! The Onion has not done anywhere near the harm to this nation and the government that the BFEE has done!!!

BushCo using the Seal should be the crime!!!

[NYC Liberal]

14. LOL!! You know what this means??

Bush & Co. are so fucked up, they are ADMITTING people would confuse The Onion for REAL NEWS!! :rofl:

[truthisfreedom]

15. for all those previously unfamiliar with "The Onion," i'm glad the WH is

bringing so much attention to them. woohoo!

[Deb]

16. OK, who in the WH thought The Onion was real news?

"It is inconceivable that anyone would think that, by using the seal, The Onion intends to 'convey... sponsorship or approval' by the president," wrote Rochelle H. Klaskin, the paper's lawyer, who went on to note that a headline in the current issue made the point: "Bush to Appoint Someone to Be in Charge of Country."

Harriet Miers... looking out for her man. :rofl:

[Canuckistanian]

17. Free the Onion!

I never thought I'd see The Onion, the NYT and the pResident's lawyer all in the same story.

Bizarro world.

[underpants]

46. FREE....THE ONION! FREE..... THE ONION!

ATTICA! ATTICA!

:bounce:

[proud2BlibKansan]

18. Oh good lord

The Onion has been around for years. How petty.

[blackhorse]

19. Does ...

the title of this article mean there's a secret service bodyguard for the presidential aquatic mammal?

Oh, that kind of seal. Sorry, I've been warped ever since I saw Salty perform at the Miami Aquarium.

Cheers

BH

[PittPoliSci]

20. i'm so glad the war's over...

that the white house can divert time to going after the onion, porn, and drugs.

[MADem]

31. And don't forget the wombs....gotta police those wombs!!! nt

[Straight Shooter]

21. The WH is going to be sooo sorry when they see the Onion's next seal.

You just know they've got a brainstorming session going on about how to design it for maximum satirical impact.

[nolabels]

26. The Onion has an interception in it's own End Zone, that is sweet

Can't wait for the silk screened T-shirts with the Onions new version of the seal

[rocktivity]

41. DING DING DING! Nolabels, you're our grand prize winner!

Can't wait for the silk screened T-shirts with the Onions new version of the seal.
Have they thought this through? Does the Bush empire realize that if the Onion can't use the presidential seal, they might create a, shall we say, more satricial alternative? It might be best to leave well enough alone...

:headbang:
rockantion

[htuttle]

37. I was thinking the same thing

If there's one thing you don't want to do, it's piss off the writers at the Onion in the same week you give them millions of dollars of free publicity.

The next issue is going to be good! (or maybe next weeks's...this week's issue is probably already in the can).

[DrDan]

23. so has anyone actually read the code?

Is this just their interpretation? or is their complaint legitimate?

(not that they would stretch the truth for their own purposes . . . .)

[DrGrishka]

40. Code Text

18 U.S.C. 713 (b)

Whoever, except as authorized under regulations promulgated by
the President and published in the Federal Register, knowingly
manufactures, reproduces, sells, or purchases for resale, either
separately or appended to any article manufactured or sold, any likeness of the seals of the President or Vice President, or any substantial part thereof, except for manufacture or sale of the article for the official use of the Government of the United States, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than six months, or both.

In other words intent to confuse is not required. Essentially the seal is "copyrighted" and you can't use it. Much like no one is allowed to republish your books even if just to make fun of you.

[displacedtexan]

24. I'm SURE no Repukes ever used the seal to lampoon Clinton!

Why, that would've been unthinkable!

</sarcasm>

[Hekate]

30. No, but they adore the photo where it looks like a halo for W*

If that's not a gross misuse of a national symbol I don't know what is.

Hekate

[DrDan]

25. so don't they also need to go after this site?

http://www.surfnetkids.com/games/president-cb.htm

or perhaps junior enjoys this one when he visits the "nets"

[DrDan]

27. buy your presidential seal flag here

along with an Air Force 1 Play set

http://www.politicalgifts.com/pressealcol.html

hmmm - "not to be used in commercial ventures"

could this be a partisan witch hunt?

[fleabert]

44. fwd that to the WH! nt

[DrDan]

28. here's the proposed 2006 version

some cronies get Supreme Court nominations,

other cronies get mentioned on the seal - not unlike NASCAR - big donors get large capital letters, smaller donors get smaller-font mention

http://www.allhatnocattle.net/11-5-04_presidential_seal.htm

[DrDan]

29. I am sure they are cracking down on this site as well

http://shop.store.yahoo.com/freedomhq/prsekeych.html

[JawJaw]

32. Hands Off Bush's Bitch!

[Ian David]

33. Two words: Civil Disobedience?

Ideas?

[bobbieinok]

35. wasn't Seelye a MAJOR antiGore reporter in 2000?

[Shakespeare]

36. What, did they hire one of Scientology's lawyers? Ridiculous. n/t

[blindpig]

38. OK, the Onion should borrow the seal from....

http://whitehouse.org/

Hell, they might be honored, and it does more accurately describe this maladministration.

[Lucille]

39. Protecting the Presidential Seal (The Onion gets served)

You might have thought that the White House had enough on its plate late last month, what with its search for a new Supreme Court nominee, the continuing war in Iraq and the C.I.A. leak investigation. But it found time to add another item to its agenda - stopping The Onion, the satirical newspaper, from using the presidential seal.

The newspaper regularly produces a parody of President Bush's weekly radio address on its Web site (www.theonion.com/content/node/40121), where it has a picture of President Bush and the official insignia.

"It has come to my attention that The Onion is using the presidential seal on its Web site," Grant M. Dixton, associate counsel to the president, wrote to The Onion on Sept. 28. (At the time, Mr. Dixton's office was also helping Mr. Bush find a Supreme Court nominee; days later his boss, Harriet E. Miers, was nominated.)

---------snip

"It is inconceivable that anyone would think that, by using the seal, The Onion intends to 'convey... sponsorship or approval' by the president," wrote Rochelle H. Klaskin, the paper's lawyer, who went on to note that a headline in the current issue made the point: "Bush to Appoint Someone to Be in Charge of Country."

Moreover, she wrote, The Onion and its Web site are free, so the seal is not being used for commercial purposes. That said, The Onion asked that its letter be considered a formal application to use the seal.

------------

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/24/business/24onion.html?pagewanted=all

[Flammable Materials]

45. The President Knows His Base ...

Ill-informed, susceptible to believing anything with a "Fwd:" in the subject header, no sense of irony, and extremely gullible.

[mucifer]

42. some onion history

Back when the Onion was pretty much a college paper from UW they did a funny story on then governor tommy thompson that he had declared some month "masturbation month" thompson tried to sue the paper but got nowhere.:rofl:

[fleabert]

43. in any way that suggests presidential support or endorsement.

that's the part they aren't thinking about...no one in their right mind thinks that the WH (of any administration) would support or endorse the Onion's presidential pieces.

gimme a break!