"Protecting the Presidential Seal. No Joke." NY Times.

[Bouncy Ball]

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

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.

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Apologies if this has been posted, but um, doesn't the White House have MUCH bigger fish to fry than THIS? Hilarious. What doofuses.

[Benhurst]

1. Having that impostor Bush stand behind it has done more

damage to the presidential seal than any use of it for satire could possibly do in a thousand years.

[Spider Jerusalem]

2. Christ, that's stupid.

One would think obvious satire would be readily perceived by anyone with functional frontal lobes as NOT having "presidential endorsement"; not to mention that this gets into First Amendment issues re freedom of speech & the press. Hardly seems to apply anyway; it's not like they're putting the fucking thing on the masthead next to the words "Approved by George W Bush! He says we're better than Charmin™!"

[INdemo]

3. Whats kinda funny.....

this story is on CNN's website and after I read it I tried to access their site and its impossible right now ..Can you imagine how many thousands of hits the "onion" site has had since this story broke.....

[Debau2005]

5. I am sure

the Onion is loving the free PR! I can't get to their site either.

[Crankie Avalon]

4. This is a serious matter from an equally serious White House...

...after all, maybe WMD would have been found in Iraq if only the Onion hadn't of been using the Presidential Seal all along.

[sam sarrha]

6. to late.. Bu$h as given that Seal of approval to Fascist Corporations