BUY THIS BLOG, OR WE'LL SHOOT THIS SEAL

SO, ARREST US FOR USING THE SEAL! Seems the White House has
got itself in an uproar over
the satirical newspaper "The Onion" using the presidential
seal in its parodies. You'd think
BushCo. would have better things to worry about. Hey, Mr.
Dixton -- bite us! Here's the story
courtesy The Poor Man Institute...next thing ya know, we'll
have a constitutional amendment protecting
the seal...wanna bet?

"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.

"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.

Read The Onion today. Kill a seal.

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Listen to this week's (Oct 10) program
(mp3 2 hr)