Marietta, Georgia, bar owner <a href="http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/cobb/stories/2008/05/15/norman_0515.html">Mike Norman</a> thought it was "cute" to sell <a href="http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/politics/2008/05/14/bojorquez.obama.tshirt.controversy.wsb">T-shirts with Obama as a monkey</a> eating a banana. Even though he is a southerner and would presumably be well-aware of the history of these types of images, he sees "nothing racist" about the T-shirts.

Just like George Allen "didn't mean it" when he called the Southeast Asian reporter "macaca," which is another kind of monkey.

What will those crazy southerners think of next?

How original. Black man... monkey... get it? Yuck. Yuck.

I would let this slide and categorize it as idiotic except for the fact that there are black children living in this town. And they have to see that T-shirt, and they know that old white man ain't talking about <span style="font-style:italic;">Curious George.</span>

So, for that reason, please contact the publisher of <span style="font-style:italic;">Curious George.</span> Here's the contact page for Houghton, Mifflan, Harcourt: <a href="http://hmlt.hmco.com/Contact.php">http://hmlt.hmco.com/Contact.php</a>

And while you're at it, PBS broadcasts <span style="font-style:italic;">Curious George.</span> Contact them as well: <a href="http://www.pbs.org/ombudsman/">http://www.pbs.org/ombudsman/</a>
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UPDATE: The publisher is considering <a href="http://www.ajc.com/wireless/content/metro/cobb/stories/2008/05/13/mulligans_0514.html">legal action.</a> So, keep sending those emails to let them know your thoughts.