With worldwide attention on the Iranian election, it was easy to miss the equally dramatic Honduras coup d’etat – the first such military action in Central America in 16 years.
The democratically elected left-leaning President Jose Manuel Zelaya was kidnapped, still in his pajamas, from his home by military forces acting on behalf of his right-leaning Congressional nemesis, Roberto Micheletti. Congressional speaker Micheletti was quickly put into power by Congress, as Zelaya was forced into exile in Costa Rica.
Tensions between Zelaya and conservative Honduran powers had been rising steadily for weeks over proposed reforms to the Constitution, including a provision that would allow Presidential re-election. Zelaya was kidnapped hours before he was to vote on such measures.
Despite protests in Honduras and the censure of world leaders (including a somewhat watered-down stance from Obama), Micheletti maintains that Zelaya will be immediately arrested if he returns to Honduras soil. Both the World Bank and the UN are looking into halting investment and aid in Honduras until Zelaya has returned to power, but Micheletti at this point refuses to negotiate.
What the future holds for Zelaya is unknown; he has however noted that he does not wish to seek a second term, but merely to finish his first term.
The Post wasn’t alone; the New York Times, among others, are also re-running their presses.
And if you feel like wearing a piece of American political history, you can sport the scoop in a scoop neck. The headline reads “Obama Makes History” – and he’s making history again, as this is the first time in our recollection that an election result article was in such high demand that the newspaper itself is offering it on t-shirts.
So don’t wait in line or worry about missing the boat – your reprint is here, and you can either read it or wear it. Or hey, you can do both.
John McCain stunned the nation yesterday when he requested that Obama agree to postpone the Presidential debates in order to work on the economic crisis.
Critics of McCain were quick to claim that the Senator is using the economic crisis as an excuse to avoid being on-camera with Obama. Whether McCain feels ill-prepared to debate Obama, is trying to prevent a Kennedy/Nixon repeat or simply wants to focus his full attention on the American economy is up for… well, debate.
But for those of you who were waiting impatiently for the Presidential debates, you’re in luck: we have our own version of The Great Debate for you. It’s only 2 minutes long, but hey – it’s better than no debates at all, right?
So for everyone out there who wants to have their own debate over the issues, just remember: an image is worth 1000 words. (Liberals here may insert a “Just ask John McCain.”)
Big thanks to the Ditty Bops for use of their song – check out their site for more throwback music that will summon memories of an era when the thought of a televised Presidential debate was mere fantasy.
(Will history repeat itself?)
Very official song credit:
“Skinny Bones”
Performed by The Ditty Bops
Written by Abby DeWald & Amanda Barrett
Published by Ditty Bops Music, (ASCAP)
Courtesy of The Green Witch Society
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buzzcowboy note:
In the time since this post has been up, the Right Wing has added their voice to the Debate debate. Most designs are however still pro-Obama on the issue, so if you have a strong pro-McCain or anti-Obama position on the Presidential Debates Debate do remember that your image is a great way to get your voice out there. Here’s some newer designs:
Rock the Vote will get a portion of the proceeds for every contest t-shirt sold, so your one-of-a-kind creation can help get other people out there to vote.
For official rules and all the fine print and other groovy instructions, please visit the Sport Your Support contest page.
And don’t worry – if you have great ideas but you’re compu-design challenged, we’ve made it easy for you with a WYSIWYG designer. So anyone can get out there and sport your support. Even, perhaps, those without opposable thumbs…
(Legal note: we don’t know that the Inauguration party allows the canines, so if Fido has strong opinions and can hunt and peck his way to contest victory, we suggest you take the grand prize and give him a nice steak as a consolation.)
Well, it’s official: John McCain’s choice of a running mate has energized not only political commentary, but his party’s desire for partisan t-shirts as well. As we’ve noted, the debates about Sarah Palin show no sign of going quietly; users have been going crazy uploading Palin designs that range from the MILF brand of college humor to serious opposition from the left.
For the first time, McCain merchandise is neck and neck with Obama merchandise. The CafePress Meter shows the trending over time – not surprisingly, the graph shows a similar trend to the USA Today Poll Tracker.
Interestingly enough, we noticed that our 6-month graph also bears an uncanny resemblance to a certain fanged fish. Hmm.
Editor’s note: The above barracuda image is not to be confused with a trout, carp or ill-tempered sea bass. Likewise, as per Heart’s public statement, the naming oneself after a barracuda is not to be confused as official endorsement by Heart.
Whatever you want to call it, Rick Husong’s creation is raising eyebrows and headlines this week as people from both sides of the political fence voice opinions as to how they feel about it.
As of today, supporters of the salute can go hands-free with official Obama salute t-shirts, relieving salute-happy California drivers everywhere. And if you like to keep your salutations private, you can always start a thongversation.
I spoke with the salute creator today, and he explained that he created the symbol out of a desire to do something inspirational because this is a “moving time in history,” and that after the last 8 “despicable” years he feels that it’s high time that America is inspired by politics. He also, for the record, has not seen “The Way to Eden.” But perhaps he might watch it now…
One interesting point in the debate behind the salute is that this kind of debate didn’t arise with Nixon’s double-handed V, Phil Jackson’s trademarked “threepeat,” or even George W. Bush’s prong-fingered inaugural contribution to the custom salute.
(Well, not this debate specifically, i.e. the debate of gangs and cults and Hitler and Star Trek. Apparently the Norwegians misinterpreted the Bush salute as a nod to Satan, but hey. That’s Norway. Norway has, however, thus far not commented upon the Obama salute.)
Coincidentally, we do publish official Star Trek scripts. So out of curiosity I took a look at the “The Way to Eden” script today to determine whether the salute in question was specified by the writers, and whether the Big-O might be one in the same.
It seems that this episode is about a bunch of space hippies cruising around the galaxy. It would also seem that the symbol in question means “One,” which is interesting given that the script seems to call for an egg shape rather than an “O.”
Indeed, the Big-O may have been more appropriate for this episode than the actual symbol demonstrated. And Leonard Nimoy seems to have taken some artistic liberties with an egg shape, unless Vulcan eggs are in fact triangular. Hmm.
So: pop culture phenomenon? Inspired contribution to political history? Worrying evidence of despotism, a cult following or gang mentality? Or a sign that Obama’s popularity reaches beyond our atmosphere and into the realm of intergalactic hippies?
That, readers, is for you to decide. And some good homework to do on the matter is reading some “Star Trek.“ Or, if you prefer…
Jesse Jackson has recently committed one of the classic faux pas that has spawned many an interesting headline and t-shirt (not to mention media dilemma as to whether a certain word can be reported): he made an off-color comment in front of an open mic.
In this case, his comment was about Barack Obama. While several media sources have danced around the word he used, we’ll just tell you: he said “nuts.” In fact, what he said was “I want to cut his nuts off.” He then punctuated his remark with some kind of yanking or snipping motion.
Whoops.
(Don Imus could not be reached for comment. And as far as we know, he hasn’t placed any order for a “No apologies, no forgiveness” t-shirt… but hey, this just leaked yesterday.)
Here’s the video:
Jackson’s colorful hankering is apparently rooted in his dislike of Obama’s messaging toward faith-based programs, as well as Obama’s oratory in African-American communities. He apologized after the clip hit the mainstream media, claiming that the quote was taken “out of context.”
How this remark could be taken in context is up for y’all to decide. Was he, perhaps, envisioning a brighter future where neutered Presidents might spare the American people the ever-looming sex scandal? Does he hope for a kinder, gentler President in order to achieve world peace?
Addendum: While we realize that “eunuch” is correctly spelled with a “ch” rather than a “ck,” the t-shirt designer felt that the “ck” went better with “Barack.” However, for you purists and anyone who owns a copy of “Eats, Shoots & Leaves,” (admittedly, I am both) there was actually a second shirt designed that just wasn’t featured in this particular post. You see it here at the right.
Self-expression is at the heart of CafePress – for every product made and sold, there’s a story to tell. (And that’s a lot of stories.)
Elections tend to bring out the best (and worst) of people. Either way, it brings them out to offer an opinion – and for some, that opinion is relegated to the privacy of a voting booth. But for many, election season is a time to give voice to your own State of the Union. Heck, those not motivated by politics have something to say, even if the statement is one of disinterest…
We believe that you can start conversations, change minds and make history with your merchandise choices. So four score and seven days ago, we decided to start something by encouraging you to Start Something… this time, with photo and video.
We know that you’re out there making a statement and changing the world, and we want to know how.
Make a video. Take some photos. Make a statement.
The finer details:
This is not a contest. Everyone’s a winner. (You’re good enough, you’re smart enough, and goshdarnit – people like you.)
We will be showcasing our staff favorites on the blog.
Video: upload to YouTube. Tag is cafepresident
Photo: upload to flickr. Tag is cafepresident
Submit by Friday, May 16
Shameless self-promotion is welcome in this endeavor, as long as it’s in the spirit of starting conversations and changing the world and all that good stuff. A screen shot of your storefront simply isn’t compelling – but a photo of your family all decked out in garb from your shop is. Awww.
Please, this exercise is one of sharing and community. Let’s all play nicely together and remember that tag spam is bad form and will engender negative commentary.
So that y’all could get an idea of what we’re looking for, we made our own videos.*
This video is the final product – “The Great Button Debate”:
And here, so you might get some ideas as to how to get these conversations started, it’s a longer video most appropriately entitled “The Making of ‘The Great Button Debate’…”
So there you have it. 300 buttons can start a lot of conversations, and you can too. Maybe you’re a military mom and the war is a personal issue. Maybe you’re a loudmouth peace activist who’s plastered your car in anti-war stickers. Or maybe you’re a dog nut who started a “Mutts 4 McCain” campaign at the local dog park.
Whoever you are, we’d like to know. Are you going door-to-door in an Obama thong? (Please, check local laws before trying this.) Are you starting conversations with your anti-Hillary T-shirt?
We’ll be adding more video and photos as we continue on starting something through this election and beyond, so be sure to check back.
Now get out there and Start Something.
*(Note: we absolutely tried to get some McCain supporters to talk with us, but despite hitting tourist areas were unfortunately unable to find a single McCain supporter in San Francisco that day. If you’re a McCain supporter and you get out there and get people talking, please share!)
As the rivalry between the Democratic frontrunners increases it seems that the news focuses more and more on the conflict itself. Hey, if it bleeds it leads.
The article goes on to discuss the candidates complaining about who’s the bigger complainer.
Because our content is a reflection of the public discourse, the CafePress system up to this point has been a good indicator of political trends. The Meter has, as we suspected, been remarkably accurate.
That being the case, I decided to search for “complain” today in our system to see what comes up. Would I find some Hillary or Obama gear at the top of the system?
Nope.
But what I did find was interesting – the top result is a “Vote” design, and there are 2 other “Vote” designs on the first page of results. And that’s really the point of all this, isn’t it? No matter how much complaining or campaigning our candidates do, at the end of the day the American people speak a lot more loudly and convincingly. And that’s by speaking with our votes.
So remember: if you want to feel good about complaining about our elected officials, be sure to register to vote.
And after that, don’t forget to make a T-shirt. Because voting is private, but your shirt lets everyone know what you think. And that’s the American way.
With worldwide attention on the Iranian election, it was easy to miss the equally dramatic Honduras coup d’etat – the first such military action in Central America in 16 years.
Tensions between Zelaya and conservative Honduran powers had been rising steadily for weeks over proposed reforms to the Constitution, including a provision that would allow Presidential re-election. Zelaya was kidnapped hours before he was to vote on such measures.
What the future holds for Zelaya is unknown; he has however noted that he does not wish to seek a second term, but merely to finish his first term.
![](http://blog.cafepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/picture-4.png "\\"the way to eden\\" salute")
