http://www.bossip.com/17341/some-hicks-get-out-of-pocket/#more-17341
Marietta bar owner Mike Norman says the T-shirts he's peddling,
featuring a look-a-like of cartoon chimp Curious George peeling a
banana, with "Obama in `08″ underneath, are not meant to offend.
Norman acknowledged the imagery's Jim Crow roots but said he sees
nothing wrong with depicting a prominent African-American as a monkey,
"We're not living in the (19)40's," he said. "Look at him . . . the
hairline, the ears he looks just like Curious George."
About a dozen protesters rallied against the shirts Tuesday
afternoon, condemning them as racist and asking Norman, longtime
proprietor of Mulligan's Bar and Grill on Roswell Street, to stop
selling them. Marietta native Pam Lindley, 47, joined the protest
after reading about the controversy online. "I don't want people to
think this is what Marietta is all about," she added, motioning
towards the tavern. "This is what some people think the South is still
like. Marietta's come a long way but I guess it's still got a little
ways to go."
