Anti-Biden figurines sold at Anchorage military base mall prompt update to vendor guidance
Ahead of the holidays, a vendor who had set up shop at a mall on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson was selling figurines with an overt political message deriding the commander-in-chief. The incident has prompted officials to update their guidance to vendors on what is — and isn’t — appropriate to sell on base.
The wooden figurines of a bear stylized to look like former President Donald Trump, with a shock of yellow hair and long red tie, stood about a foot tall and held small signs reading “Let’s Go Brandon.” The phrase emerged this fall as a coded way of saying “F--- Joe Biden”.
The “Let’s Go Brandon” bears were being sold at JBER’s officially managed commercial facility and were offered by an independent vendor, according to Chris Ward, senior public affairs manager for the Army & Air Force Exchange Service.
On JBER, the bear figurine seller had a short-term contract with the venue, and by the time officials looked into the item, the merchant had already closed up shop, according to Ward. “The ornament is no longer being sold in the mall,” Ward said, adding that it was an isolated incident.
In general, under the Defense Department’s 2020 guidance on political activity, active-duty service members are barred from overtly supporting politicians, causes and campaigns that could make the military seem partisan. “Once this product was identified, it was determined to be outside the established parameters for resale,” Ward said.
https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/military/2021/12/28/anti-biden-figurines-sold-at-anchorage-military-base-mall-prompt-update-to-vendor-guidance/
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