By now everybody knows that two cops were called upon to gun down an errant chimp on Monday night in Stamford, Connecticut. What you may or may not know is that the New York Post today ran a cartoon by their in-house artist, Sean Delonas, depicting that scene.

In true NYPost and Delonas fashion, the publication did not miss the opportunity to tie it in to the new administration. See for yourself:


Photo Courtesy of New York Post, News Corp.

Your eyes are not deceiving you. Delonas' caption makes a not-so-subtle comparison of our new POTUS to the dead chimp. Grant it, Obama didn't pen the stimulus package but after Tuesday's speech in Denver, he owns it.

I have been privy to several conversations about this cartoon. Most are outraged. Some have understood it and defended it without championing it. This isn't the first time Delonas and the Post have printed a racially offensive cartoon. Nor is it the first time that the parent company of the Post, News Corp., supported racially offensive commentary. After all, it is the same company that owns FOX News.

It is clearly apparent with this quote (borrowed from Dick Prince's column) from the Post's editor, Col Allan, there is no remorse or even a recognition of them doing anything wrong.

"The cartoon is a clear parody of a current news event, to wit the shooting of a violent chimpanzee in Connecticut. It broadly mocks Washington's efforts to revive the economy. Again, Al Sharpton reveals himself as nothing more than a publicity opportunist," Karen Matthews reported for the Associated Press.

I say, it is not a clear parody when so many people are offended and outraged. It is not a clear parody when it is common knowledge that racists Americans have always compared blacks to monkeys. It is a clear parody of the strides this nation is attempting to make beyond the color barrier.

So what now? How do we stop it?

Some recommended that we ignore it. That its blatant quality renders it ineffectual. I disagree. The blatant nature is what disturbs me the most. This is exactly how I thought racist whites would respond to a President Obama.

Now that we have a black POTUS they say, that there is no more need for Black History Month. They will say that there is no need for affirmative action in hiring and admission practices. They will say that everything is fair and their is no such thing as racial profiling.

Don't be mislead. There will be a need for Black History Month as long as the companies who write the textbooks are controlled by the ruling class and present only their version of events long passed.

There will be a need for affirmative action in hiring and admission practices as long as those doing the hiring and admitting are white and male. And, I don't think my industry is the only one still dominated by those two demographics.

There will be a need for justice as long as young brothers like Robbie Tolan, a former minor league baseball player and son of a major leaguer, are shot while standing in their own driveways for driving their own cars.

Tolan and his cousin drove home, parked and were walking toward the front door when a police officer questioned whether the SUV they got out of belonged to Tolan. It did. The 23-year-old's mother emerged from the house, rightfully questioning what the police officer wanted with her son, the cop allegedly shoved her, which is when Tolan, who was down on the ground, told the officer to keep his hand off his mother. That's when the cop allegedly shot him.

Let's be offended by the cartoonish images published by rightwing tabloids to sell hardcopies and garner clicks. If you are in New York, don't buy the Post. If the cartoon offends you, don't visit their site and call your cable or satellite provider and ask them to discontinue FOX networks. But let's not lose sight of the real issues. The ones that can take away our freedoms and our lives. We have a black President but our fight to end the monkey business of racism is far from over.