Not Amused

With hurricanes, Harriet and Herr Prosecutor on its plate, the Bush Administration is busy, but blogger Mike Devine is heartened to know it's taken time to be vigilant against abuse of official seals.

He writes about this bit of news:

“The White House is not amused by The Onion, a newspaper that often spoofs the Bush administration, and has asked it to stop using the presidential seal on its Web site.

“White House spokesman Trent Duffy said people who work in the executive mansion do have a sense of humor, but not when it comes to breaking regulations.

“‘When any official sign or seal is being used inappropriately the party is notified,’ Duffy said.”

Source: Reuters, “White House to Onion: Stop using seal” (CNN.com, Oct. 26, 2005)

Devine, who writes at Monorail Mike, comments:

Pardon me for a moment while I tuck a copy of this article into two increasingly large files: “People Who Take Themselves Far Too Seriously” and “How Does the White House Have Time for This Nonsense?”

... somehow, the Bush administration still has enough space on its to-do list to publicly admonish a satirical publication over the proper use of the presidential insignia, of all things.

Scott Dikkers, the Onion editor-in-chief, replied to the warning as follows:

“I would advise them to look for that other guy Osama [bin Laden] … rather than comedians. I don’t think we pose much of a threat.”

Irreverent yet practical — that’s why I read The Onion in the first place.