XPost: alt.drugs.meth, neworleans.general, nj.politics   
   XPost: alt.fan.letterman   
   From: slut.kathy.griffin@msnbc.com   
      
   Thank you Kathy Griffin for the indisputable evidence of your   
   liberal bigotry and ignorance.   
      
   STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Off with her head! Or at least her tour   
   dates! That's the general consensus among dozens of angry online   
   commenters calling for the cancelation of comic Kathy Griffin's   
   upcoming show at the St. George Theatre.   
      
   The outcry started on the historic venue's official Facebook   
   page after an image of the flame-haired funny lady hoisting the   
   (fake) severed head of President Donald Trump made the online   
   rounds Tuesday.   
      
   Well, the St. George team heard you, loud and clear. The   
   following statement was issued Thursday afternoon:   
      
   "The Kathy Griffin performance scheduled for Thursday, November   
   2, 2017 has been canceled. The St. George Theatre does not   
   endorse the actions or beliefs of any of its performers, and Ms.   
   Griffin's recent actions have severely inhibited our ability to   
   fulfill our mission as a non-profit theatre serving the Staten   
   Island community."   
      
   Refunds are now available at the original point of purchase, via   
   Ticketmaster or the St. George Theatre box office.   
      
   TOO LATE FOR APOLOGIES   
      
   The bipartisan backlash was swift -- the backpedaling even   
   swifter. A contrite Griffin posted a video apology shortly after   
   the offending post, which was part of a shoot for self-   
   proclaimed "celebrity shock" photographer Tyler Shields.   
      
   The 56-year-old double Emmy winner admitted her latest project   
   (the knife portrait in the gallery above is from a previous   
   collab) with Shields was "too disturbing" and "wasn't funny."   
      
   But her mea culpa just didn't cut it.   
      
   "No one supports freedom of speech or expression more than we   
   do," said Brian J. Laline, chairman of the St. George Theatre's   
   board of directors. "But as with anything, there must be some   
   boundaries in a free and civilized society. Ms. Griffin went   
   beyond those boundaries in an act that could well celebrate   
   terrorist acts and mock the memory of Americans who lost their   
   lives in the very manner she attempted to parody. It was simply   
   wrong."   
      
   BTW: Many of the resulting one-star reviews -- and derogatory   
   comments -- on the St. George Theatre's Facebook page appear to   
   originate from a nationally organized (i.e. most don't hail from   
   S.I.) effort to secure cancelations from all venues on Griffin's   
   current "Celebrity Run-In Tour."   
      
   This would have marked Griffin's third headlining appearance on   
   Staten Island, after dates at the Center for the Arts in 2006   
   and the St. George in 2014.   
      
   S.I.-based standup Molly Lisenco echoed the sentiments of   
   several others in the local comedy community by posting "THIS IS   
   ART" on a readers' poll asking, "Did comedian go too far with   
   fake beheading of Donald Trump?"   
      
   Lisenco added: "The comedian's place, like any artist, is to   
   start discourse and to help the general public look at the   
   current socio/political climate...that is what she did. I'm very   
   proud of her."   
      
   VETERANS DON'T ACCEPT APOLOGY   
      
   Turns out Facebook warriors aren't the only ones who are   
   outraged.   
      
   "The Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S. strongly condemns   
   comedian Kathy Griffin's incredibly revolting attack on the   
   President of the United States," wrote VFW National Commander   
   Brian Duffy in a statement released Wednesday.   
      
   "Her apology is not accepted," added Duffy. "What she did was   
   not humorous nor should it be protected speech or expression.   
   Playing to an audience with a severed head is what our enemies   
   do. The USO should end its relationship with her."   
      
   Fans of Griffin's BRAVO TV series "My Life on the D-List" will   
   recall Griffin's 2003 stint entertaining troops in Afghanistan   
   as part of a USO tour, and organized a holiday fundraiser that   
   collected and delivered gifts for military families.   
      
   She led another USO tour in 2006, with stops in Iraq and Kuwait.   
   She also hosted 2010's "VH1 Divas Salute The Troops" from the   
   Marine Corps Air Station in San Diego, Calif.   
      
   CNN, SQUATTY POTTY DROP GRIFFIN   
      
   Griffin's lucrative endorsement deal with Squatty Potty went   
   down the drain within an hour of the controversial photos   
   appearing on Shields' website.   
      
   "We were shocked and disappointed to learn about the image Ms.   
   Griffin shared today," said Squatty Potty CEO Bobby Edwards in a   
   statement. "It was deeply inappropriate and runs contrary to the   
   core values our company stands for. In response, Squatty Potty   
   has suspended its ad campaign featuring Ms. Griffin. We have   
   acted swiftly and decisively to demonstrate our commitment to a   
   culture of decency, civility and tolerance."   
      
   A few hours later, a CNN spokesperson announced the termination   
   of Griffin's co-hosting duties on the network's annual New   
   Year's Eve broadcast with Anderson Cooper.   
      
   "We found what she did disgusting and offensive," a CNN   
   representative said Tuesday. "We are pleased to see she has   
   apologized and asked that the photos be taken down."   
      
   TYLER SHIELDS ISN'T BACKING DOWN   
      
   When caught by TMZ cameras during a ice cream run in Los   
   Angeles, the hoodie-clad lensman refused to respond to claims he   
   might be in trouble with the "Secret Service" because of his   
   work.   
      
   "Honestly, I got no comment; the only thing is, you make art you   
   gotta stand by it -- and that's it," Shields told the TMZ   
   cameraman. "I can't censor myself dude."   
      
   Do us all a favor and kill yourself.  Take responsibility for   
   your actions.   
      
   http://www.silive.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2017/06/kathy_grif   
   fin_at_the_st_george.html   
                     
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)