The Portland Press Herald / The Maine Sunday Telegram

175 COMMENTS

ANON said...

People, get a life.

July 22, 2010 at 8:43 AM Report abuse

A said...

Seriously people chill. Everything is politicized these days. Let's just enjoy the ice cream.

July 22, 2010 at 8:45 AM Report abuse

said...

Republican Idiots!!!

July 22, 2010 at 8:48 AM Report abuse

said...

Republican idiots, Democrat idiots. They're all idiots, they just each pick their own things to be idiots about.

July 22, 2010 at 8:53 AM Report abuse

Badjuju said...

That is the stupidest thing I have heard this year.

July 22, 2010 at 8:57 AM Report abuse

Studebaker_Hoc said...

Spoon Power!

July 22, 2010 at 8:58 AM Report abuse

mungomunro said...

Republican had better be careful here. You don't want to anger the ice cream lovers of America. They can be a violent bunch when crossed.

July 22, 2010 at 9:00 AM Report abuse

Gimme a break said...

Gimme a break

July 22, 2010 at 9:01 AM Report abuse

Caleb O'Connell said...

I think the president just likes good ice cream.

July 22, 2010 at 9:01 AM Report abuse

said...

And I suppose there is another hidden clue in the fact he is eating vanilla? Or the leaves on the tree just happen to be the color of money? So what does it say about Shawn Moody using his business logo on his campaign signs?

July 22, 2010 at 9:03 AM Report abuse

Studebaker_Hoc said...

"Fearless Flavor" meets "Fearless Leader"

July 22, 2010 at 9:06 AM Report abuse

player said...

Must be a slow news day. P.P.H. reports on the most useless things!!

July 22, 2010 at 9:15 AM Report abuse

Stosh said...

Poor guy, I know being the president comes with the loss of a private life but there are few things more sacred than ice cream while on vacation. It's a shame it had to be ruined for him by some fringe bloggers. I'm proud our president went to Maine for a vacation! It certainly is my favorite place in the world.

July 22, 2010 at 9:18 AM Report abuse

said...

You have to be kidding me? Get a life is right!!!

July 22, 2010 at 9:23 AM Report abuse

iddyAutic said...

Power to blacks eating ice cream!

July 22, 2010 at 9:27 AM Report abuse

Gowens said...

'Republican idiots, Democrat idiots. They're all idiots, they just each pick their own things to be idiots about' --------------------------The best thing I've read on and PPH board in Months... Let's see anyone seriously question this statement..

July 22, 2010 at 9:28 AM Report abuse

said...

Well isn't this an interesting debacle...The picture might be telling in many ways but the perception is always suspect at best. One picture out of a million does not equate to a specific agenda.

July 22, 2010 at 9:29 AM Report abuse

DB said...

Looks more like the Howard Stern logo than a black power movement logo.

July 22, 2010 at 9:29 AM Report abuse

flyfisherman said...

What a waste of space and time.....short news day.

July 22, 2010 at 9:31 AM Report abuse

SL of SP said...

Can I say something...Shut up!

July 22, 2010 at 9:32 AM Report abuse

MNC said...

Power to the Icecream!

July 22, 2010 at 9:33 AM Report abuse

Happy27 said...

You have to be kidding me? Are the people in Maine that ignorant? pathetic..

July 22, 2010 at 9:34 AM Report abuse

Relax said...

Yes of course the liberals have their own distortions of the truth so you’ll have to pick your poison. But it’s always been my perception (As can be seen in this story) that the CONs have cornered the market on absurdity on this subject. Here’s two quotes that come to mind. There's three things to remember: claim everything, explain nothing, deny everything (Senator Prescott Bush). Make the lie big, make it simple, keep saying it, and eventually they will believe it (Adolf Hitler). Nice! The Black Panthers are selling ice cream in Bar Harbor Maine and the President went there to show his support. Yah, that’s the ticket.

July 22, 2010 at 9:34 AM Report abuse

John Birch said...

I see an underlying social message here.... Ray Nagin said it best...Bar Harbor is a "chocolate" city!

July 22, 2010 at 9:45 AM Report abuse

Over it said...

Gotta love black font, so I guess if red had been the font color of choose we wouldn't be hearing about this very stupid story.

July 22, 2010 at 9:47 AM Report abuse

kal said...

And if he did pick it because he thought the fist meant black power--so what????????

July 22, 2010 at 9:48 AM Report abuse

beulah said...

Please think about this. If you were to open an ice cream shop would you use a slogan like that? I’m not saying there is a hidden meaning for using the slogan, but come on. A fist with a spoon in it for an ice cream shop? Also, didn’t I read in yesterdays story that Main’s Congressional Rep. from Dist. 2 is involved with this shop in some way?

July 22, 2010 at 9:49 AM Report abuse

beulah said...

typo: should be Maine's.

July 22, 2010 at 9:52 AM Report abuse

loops said...

beulah....i think it's a GREAT logo!

July 22, 2010 at 9:53 AM Report abuse

Anon said...

Why is the PPH giving a few insignificant bloggers attention for their lunacy?

July 22, 2010 at 9:57 AM Report abuse

JWR said...

Unbelivable ! The 'White Fright' a.k.a. tea-party are really running wild, I won't say scared because that's what they are trying to brainwash their base with. "OMG, there's a Black man trying to destroy our way of life" (and he's eating icecream vanilla icecream or was that coconut from his fond memory of his Hawaian home)

July 22, 2010 at 9:59 AM Report abuse

Icecream Fan said...

I think it's a great logo today .. it reminds me of: "I scream, you scream, we all scream for ICE CREAM!!" ... Go Ice Cream Power!

July 22, 2010 at 10:03 AM Report abuse

Relax said...

Beulah, It's not much stranger than the ice cream shops in Wayne and Winthrop Maine called TUBBY’S. Yah, like I really need to stop at Tubby’s today to make my behind grow a little bit larger. There must be a conspiracy of some sort behind these strange ice cream signs. Maybe the government is trying to thin us all down by scaring us away from our favorite frappe? Eat this and you’re a Blank Panther or eat this and you won’t be able to fit back in that monster SUV. I get the shivers just thinking about it. Or is it just another brain freezing moment? No more ice cream for me!

July 22, 2010 at 10:08 AM Report abuse

said...

Great sign. The pres knew EXACTLY what he was doing here. It's subliminal and appropriate for him. Go pres!

July 22, 2010 at 10:09 AM Report abuse

UofA said...

The right is just unhinged and racist at every turn. That one stop for ice cream was great.

July 22, 2010 at 10:18 AM Report abuse

said...

Another in a series of whack job, right wing, neo-con idiotic conspiricy theories. Stay tuned to Fox News for more.........

July 22, 2010 at 10:20 AM Report abuse

anonymous said...

No justice, no ice cream! Wait, wait ... I think it's: no ice cream, no peace!

July 22, 2010 at 10:27 AM Report abuse

Dee said...

Why aren't they naming the blogger?

July 22, 2010 at 10:32 AM Report abuse

said...

OMG! People have way to much time on their hands if people are concerned with a stupid sign. Get a life already!

July 22, 2010 at 10:33 AM Report abuse

chuck billy said...

Get a life! I have a sock drawer for you to rearrange if you need something to do.

July 22, 2010 at 10:33 AM Report abuse

Anonymous1 said...

Wow people. Barak wanted an icecream, must we criticize EVERY move he makes?!

July 22, 2010 at 10:40 AM Report abuse

Bob Rudd said...

Politics or not, So What? I'm not an Obama fan (fact is I am fiercely Conservative), but when you're under the gun as this president is who would rationally think he would not use every opportunity for his political gain? Doh!

July 22, 2010 at 10:45 AM Report abuse

AXel said...

Bush was a drunk and they can't let that go.

July 22, 2010 at 10:48 AM Report abuse

Silent K said...

AHHAHAHAHAHAAAHHAHAHHAHAA. Hold on.. AHHHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHHAHAHA. Black Raspberry power perhaps.

July 22, 2010 at 10:49 AM Report abuse

FreeThoughts said...

For the record, the ice cream he had was coconut, not vanilla. Interpret that however you want. Maybe that....coconut ice cream is delicious?

July 22, 2010 at 10:52 AM Report abuse

Hardworkinguy said...

Hey Relax-would you like a nice cold glass of Kool-aid to wash down your Black Power Vanilla on a sugar cone? Did you gobble that down so fast that you got a brain freeze? Do you honestly believe a handful of kook bloggers represent every reasonable,thinking American that chooses not to label themselves liberal? Good grief!

July 22, 2010 at 10:59 AM Report abuse

said...

Ice cream eaters just like to spoon. Down with the establishment, fight the power... spoon.

July 22, 2010 at 11:04 AM Report abuse

Saco Guy said...

Some people have too much time on their hands to think up stuff like this - Get a life people

July 22, 2010 at 11:07 AM Report abuse

Horsense said...

In Philadelphia during the 2008 elections Black Panthers with billy clubs were at the front door of a poling place and indicted. The charges were dropped by mr. Obama's Justice department. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=neGbKHyGuHU http://blog.heritage.org/2010/07/21/the-new-black-panther-party-evidence-on-voter-intimidation/

July 22, 2010 at 11:08 AM Report abuse

HesterPrynne said...

flyfisherman said... What a waste of space and time.....short news day." _____ I disagree. It's important to show how utterly small minded some people can be. Is it possible that global warming causes paranoia?

July 22, 2010 at 11:10 AM Report abuse

COMMON_CENTS said...

With the scandal at USDOA over SHERROD's firing; the hidden practices of the OBAMA administration to promote racist policies are coming to light. All you have to do is find the web page of the NATIONAL BLACK FARMER'S ASSOCIATION (http://www.blackfarmers.org/about.html) to see a quote from Obama supporting this organization's $1.2 billion reparations agenda, and Sherrod's role in making sure White farmers are denied, while Black farmers are favored...that's what political appointees do, only in this case it's racial favoritism. So it doesn't surprise me to see a BLACK POWER logo on an ice cream shop pulling in the Obama's like a magnet at an NAACP convention; it just sadden's me to see this kind of racism rear it's ugly head in Maine.

July 22, 2010 at 11:10 AM Report abuse

Pat Meek said...

I don't care where he chooses to eat ice cream, I just care about all the money that he is spending that this country doesn't have. Does that make me a racist, if so there are lots of us out here.

July 22, 2010 at 11:12 AM Report abuse

HesterPrynne said...

FreeThoughts said... For the record, the ice cream he had was coconut, not vanilla. Interpret that however you want. Maybe that....coconut ice cream is delicious?" ___ Coconut? hmmm? Hawaii? hmmm? Maybe he was trying to use this as a subtle affirmation to make us believe he really IS from Hawaii. When we all know that can't possibly be true. Just ask any birther. I'm sure they can explain why the Democratic Party would risk losing all on a man not born in this country.

July 22, 2010 at 11:13 AM Report abuse

Alycia said...

Ok first off this is so, well, just dumb. I have lived in Maine my whole life and never in a million years did I ever think that here in Maine anyone could misconstrue something so totally innocent. There are a lot of black and white signs, do you want to make something of them too. Point is, it's a SIGN in front of a mom and pop ICE CREAM store in MAINE! MAINE for crying out loud!!!!! We are far from being the ignorant hicks most people make us out to be but our mom and pop shop's also don't have major political stances either. We are a pretty middle of the road state. Give it a rest and go bother someone else.

July 22, 2010 at 11:15 AM Report abuse

COMMON_CENTS said...

Too bad the shop didn't have that Maine favorite the NEEDHAM!...coconut & chocolate! Was that shop a 'minority enterprise'? or just an ambitious white liberal ripping off the Black Panther's logo?......try doing that in D.C. and watch a real 'meltdown'.

July 22, 2010 at 11:19 AM Report abuse

me said...

Notice his favorite color for a pick of ice cream.

July 22, 2010 at 11:24 AM Report abuse

Kris said...

It appears that some of our commenters share the same feelings as these bloggers such as COMMON CENTS, who hasn't realized that the Sherrod firing is a scandal for the right wingers who blatantly and maliciously manipulated the video to make her appear racist. She has been vindicated by all but the most hardcore right-wing nutjobs.

July 22, 2010 at 11:28 AM Report abuse

said...

"Republican idiots, Democrat idiots. They're all idiots, they just each pick their own things to be idiots about." - oh, so true!!!!

July 22, 2010 at 11:28 AM Report abuse

COMMON_CENTS said...

Given a choice between a shop flying the rainbow nation flag or one with the Black Panther flag, which one do you think the OBAMA's would go to? .....p.s. I love coconut ice cream!

July 22, 2010 at 11:30 AM Report abuse

JWR said...

COMMON_CENTS,--When do you stop being a phony ? Did you hepl distort that speench ? Ask the 'White' farmer she bailed out what they think. (he votes Obama in 2012) The ignorant are awakening thanks to BS artist like yourself.

July 22, 2010 at 11:33 AM Report abuse

Beulah said...

Both!!! Black Panther first, then Rainbow flag place. I don't think the sigh is raciest, but I do think Obama is raciest. All you have to do is listen the sermons that are given in the Church he attended for many years.

July 22, 2010 at 11:42 AM Report abuse

said...

that logo was not picked just for ice cream. It is a statement just like Obama going there is a statement.

July 22, 2010 at 11:55 AM Report abuse

Beulah said...

Where is the outrage from the liberals about the Black Panthers intimidating voters. I would like to see one of the liberal posters denounce the Black Panthers. Instead they trash talk the tea party people about being a raciest organization. This to me is laughable. Do you liberals truly believe that most Blacks want to get along with White people? NO THEY DISPISE US, THEY THINK WE ARE THE DEVIL. I will tell you libs now that I do not put all Blacks in this category. I have Black friends and relatives, so I know what I am talking about, I heard it from the source. The problem is people will not talk about it.

July 22, 2010 at 11:59 AM Report abuse

Jay said...

Get a life.

July 22, 2010 at 12:05 PM Report abuse

sayyes269 said...

I cannot wait until he out of office, but even he wouldn't stoop that low. (i hope)

July 22, 2010 at 12:11 PM Report abuse

said...

Some foolish people just continue to blame Obama because of their personal biases, and refuse to recognize the totality of all this. A lesser man than Obama would have already either had a nervous breakdown or a significant heart attack. What is clear from all this is that the system needs major change and reform. Two actions are imperative: 1. impose term limits on all elected offices and 2. federally finance election campaigns which should be limited to 30 days and a fixed, reasonable budget. The power and influence of the corporatocracy and its lobbyists must be curtailed.

July 22, 2010 at 12:15 PM Report abuse

said...

Beulah, There are less than two dozen "black panthers," and Fox "Republican" News and wingnuts like you are trying to turn it onto a major problem?? It's just more noise from the far right to excuse what they are, namely racists and ignorant buffoons who think what Cheney and Bush did was just nifty. You are a wingnut.

July 22, 2010 at 12:17 PM Report abuse

CEMan said...

Beulah. It was two black guys in a black neighborhood that votes Democratic in every election. As soon as the TV cameras left, they left. As GWB said, "There is no there there" Get a freaking clue and a freaking life. Your obviously to far gone to have a brain.

July 22, 2010 at 12:19 PM Report abuse

Righty said...

That logo was not randomly picked, nor was Obamas visit and picture next to it.

July 22, 2010 at 12:22 PM Report abuse

beulah said...

There you libs go with the NASTY comments. NASTY, NASTY, NASTY. What is the difference between me disliking the KKK, and disliking the NAACP? They both do the same thing. I can take the nasty comments because I know I am a good person. I Love all people, I just don’t love what some people do.

July 22, 2010 at 12:25 PM Report abuse

Annieme said...

Seriously people! Get a life! How many times were other presidents photographed next to a "white" image. Was that broadcasted? No? Why? Caz no one cared. Now OMG! The president is black so therefore every single thing he does is scrutinized for race preference. GET OVER IT! Not everything is about race! Idiots!

July 22, 2010 at 12:26 PM Report abuse

beulah said...

OK if the KKK holds a rally with 3 people, then leave it is OK. Ya I gotcha.

July 22, 2010 at 12:27 PM Report abuse

said...

From an article in 2008: Downeast Ice Cream Makers Serve Up Some Unique, Wild Flavors A sign outside Mount Desert Island Ice Cream in downtown Bar Harbor features a familiar emblem in an unfamiliar way. The logo of the black power movement — a raised fist — clenches a spoon. Shop owner Linda Parker thinks the tongue-in-cheek sign adds some spice to typically bovine advertisements Downeast Ice Cream Makers Serve Up Some Unique, Wild Flavors A sign outside Mount Desert Island Ice Cream in downtown Bar Harbor features a familiar emblem in an unfamiliar way. The logo of the black power movement — a raised fist — clenches a spoon. http://bit.ly/dubM6c

July 22, 2010 at 12:30 PM Report abuse

loops said...

i'm sorry beulah...but you sound more clueless by the minute. i have never heard of the NAACP attaching people to their bumpers and dragging them thru the streets, nor have i heard of them hanging people. To my knowledge they don't hide behind sheets either. To compare the NAACP to the KKK shows just where your head is at. And if you don't know....despite the fact that you claim to have black friends....you're still a big fat racist...pure and simple.

July 22, 2010 at 12:35 PM Report abuse

Fred said...

Beulah - Are you actually just someone trying to make conservatives look bad with an outlandish parody when you wrote: " I don't think the sigh (sic) is raciest (sic)"? Oh - and that whole Black Panthers intimidating voters thing? It's an entirely made up controversy by Fox News. Fox has been trying for over a month to find any voters who felt intimidated and haven't been able to come up with even ONE. Yet they still did over 10 hours of stories on this silly made up "incident". How very lame.

July 22, 2010 at 12:36 PM Report abuse

sickofpolitics said...

I'm actually very surprised he chose coconut and not Banana. Ahahahahaha....Read into that one Lib's!!

July 22, 2010 at 12:40 PM Report abuse

said...

FIGHT THE POWER!

July 22, 2010 at 12:40 PM Report abuse

Identity Theft said...

AXeL no longer posts under that name. It has been hijacked. Any posts under that name has been made by unscrupulous liberals seeking to win an argument by dishonest means. But isn't that the only way they can win?

July 22, 2010 at 12:42 PM Report abuse

JWR said...

Beulah,--Don't start pluzeeeeeeeeeeeee! Listen to the sermons in it's entirety, not the chop job that Fox News plastered all over the internet. Is he bitter ? You damn right he is. This is a man who served his country honarably in the United States Marine Corp when called upon. Only to return and be told he wasn't good enough to drink from the same fountain, to sit in the same seat, to use the same rest room. You better believe GOD D--- America ! Now, stand tall and denouce your base if you have the courage and the guts, even an ounce of what he had.

July 22, 2010 at 12:42 PM Report abuse

said...

Ya'll remember the band: "PUBLIC ENEMY" They had a song called FIGHT THE POWER

July 22, 2010 at 12:43 PM Report abuse

beulah said...

I’m not fat, and if you think I am raciest, good for you. Don’t take everything I say at 100% I add a little stimulus to make my point.

July 22, 2010 at 12:46 PM Report abuse

said...

Why is Maine so liberal?

July 22, 2010 at 12:50 PM Report abuse

said...

The basis of the question is a sound one. Until the arrival of Ed Muskie, Maine had been so overwhelmingly Republican that Democrats were meaningless to governance in the state. But something happened that completely reversed the poles in the state and handed it squarely to the Democrats.

July 22, 2010 at 12:50 PM Report abuse

said...

The Economy It’s the economy stupid – the transition of the economy, that is. Over the years Maine has lost jobs in shoes, potato farming, chicken processing, paper making and timber, and has gained them in tourism, hospitality, service, call centers and high tech. The causes are hardly “Democrats screwing up the state”, but a combination of a number of factors – the biggest of which are the move toward free trade and the general decline of these industries nation wide.

July 22, 2010 at 12:51 PM Report abuse

said...

Fox has been trying for over a month to find any voters who felt intimidated and haven't been able to come up with even ONE. Yet they still did over 10 hours of stories on this silly made up "incident". How very lame. ________ __ it was over two years ago, so no wonder they can't find anyone who even remembers. Two black men, in a black neighborhood, two years ago. Ya, that's news alright.

July 22, 2010 at 12:51 PM Report abuse

said...

With the change in the economic base from a production economy to a service based economy, the types of people that fill those new and different jobs betray a very different type of political sensibility. The old jobs were entrepreneurial in nature, very rugged and individualistic, so it comes as no surprise that the types of people who would work in them would trend a little more toward the more “leave me alone and let me take care of myself” mentality that is so common in today’s conservative and libertarian communities. The new jobs that have supplanted them are more centered around work that tends to attract a more liberal minded person. For example, jobs in the high tech sector that exists in Maine brings people who have spent a lot of time in universities, while the hospitality industry attracts wealthy transplants from metropolitan areas in nearby states – urban areas which have trended overwhelmingly Democratic since Roosevelt’s New Deal.

July 22, 2010 at 12:53 PM Report abuse

said...

This transition has drastically changed the landscape. Currently, Maine is most similar in demographics to a western European country (which may help explain a few things) – by that I mean, low birth rates and an older population. Maine has the lowest birth rate in the United States, and in the modern American political landscape, booming families are a major driver of Republicanism in many areas. But more importantly, the older generation of Americans is more dependent on state services than the younger generations, and as such, they vote out of self interest.

July 22, 2010 at 12:54 PM Report abuse

COMMON_CENTS said...

Dear FRUIT LOOPS...read the WIKIPEDIA account of the Black Panther party and you'll get this: "From the beginning the Black Panther Party's focus on militancy came with a reputation for violence. They employed a California law which permitted carrying a loaded rifle or shotgun as long as it was publicly displayed and pointed at no one.[37] Carrying weapons openly and making threats against police officers, for example, chants like "The Revolution has co-ome, it's time to pick up the gu-un. Off the pigs!",[38] helped create the Panthers' reputation as a violent organization. On October 17, 1967, Oakland police officer John Frey was shot to death in an altercation with Huey P. Newton during a traffic stop." I can't believe you are still romanticizing dah Panthers?

July 22, 2010 at 12:55 PM Report abuse

said...

Threaten any of the typical pillars of social security, or medicare, and you will face a backlash. Promise to protect them and you will be rewarded. As we all know, Republicans have been far more willing to go out on the limb and say that those pillars need to be reformed, changed, but or restructured, while the Democrats have relied on them as central to their agenda.

July 22, 2010 at 12:55 PM Report abuse

said...

It’s because people from Mass moved here to get away from the high taxes.

July 22, 2010 at 12:55 PM Report abuse

dude of chelsea said...

the twisted tea party is at it again ,

July 22, 2010 at 12:59 PM Report abuse

rightwinglies said...

The liberals may have issues and stretch stuff.. But the right wing entire idea is just one big stretch and lie. Do they still think we have a liberal media lol.. What a joke.. Time to circle the wagons on this right wing trash.

July 22, 2010 at 1:03 PM Report abuse

loops said...

how in god's name am i romanticising the black panthers when i did not even mention them??!! newsflash...the black panthers and the NAACP are not one in the same. And what in heck does what WIki has to say about the BP have to do with the president having a cone while in Maine????

July 22, 2010 at 1:03 PM Report abuse

Spoonaddict said...

I ask you; if that's not cause for impeachment what is?

July 22, 2010 at 1:10 PM Report abuse

harlyridr said...

Dude of Chelsea says "Twisted Tea Party is at it again"!! Excellent way of putting it!!

July 22, 2010 at 1:26 PM Report abuse

sherman said...

Wow.. how silly can the right get? Common.. you don't believe that blacks have the right to openly bears arms? Aren't they protected by the 2nd amendment? Or is the Constituion still for white men only...?

July 22, 2010 at 1:27 PM Report abuse

paulrevere said...

Spoonaddict said... I ask you; if that's not cause for impeachment what is? ..... How bout this?http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wo3Aj2eqmS8

July 22, 2010 at 1:37 PM Report abuse

Relax said...

Hey Hardworkinguy, No in fact I don't. I'm only concerned about the lack of free thinking individuals and the abundance of folks like you who go around using terms like "Cold glass of Kool-aid" to describe anyone who has not been swayed to believe anything the CONs tell them. Think for yourself dude, mouthing verbal insults from the likes of Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh only serves to make you sound as silly as them. You can do better than that. Work harder!

July 22, 2010 at 1:38 PM Report abuse

Relax said...

Hardworkinguy, "Good grief". You even had to steal that thought from Charlie Brown. Yikes! Free thinker you're not. Although I will admit quoting Charles Schultz is a move in the right direction. Keep working on it. You can do better.

July 22, 2010 at 1:50 PM Report abuse

mparent said...

"Republican idiots, Democrat idiots. They're all idiots, they just each pick their own things to be idiots about." That was me (I didn't realize I posted as Anonymous now... I will put my ID from now on). After reading the posts, especially the bit from the owner of the icecream shop, I would bet that the photo op was intentional. I don't think it's wrong, or reason for scrutiny. I think it's quite clever, though. And all of this fighting over it is rather ridiculous. Sheeeeeesh.

July 22, 2010 at 1:56 PM Report abuse

Gowens said...

That's it, I am going to start up the tinfoil hat business.. I'll be rich before the next election and set to retire by 2016.

July 22, 2010 at 1:56 PM Report abuse

BlueFish said...

Geez, lighten up folks. I don't know if anyone else noticed it, but I laughed when I saw the spoon. From the angle the picture was taken from, it looks like the hand on the sign is about to put the spoon in Obama's mouth. Besides, haven't any of you ever watched a kid eating ice cream with a spoon? I've seen them raise their arms up while gripping the spoon in the same manner when asked if they like the ice cream. Maybe it's time we all just chill and have some ice cream.

July 22, 2010 at 2:03 PM Report abuse

XXX said...

This was noticed by people TWO YEARS AGO. This was not recently fabricated by Conservative Bloggers. The blogs I saw pasted this link into a story in which they merely stated that Obama was photographed under the sign that "bears a striking resenblance" to the Black Power symbol. http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:KQga8SYKaKIJ:mdislander.com/site/index.php%3Foption%3Dcom_content%26task%3Dview%26id%3D6840%26Itemid%3D114+%22mount+desert+island+ice+cream%22+owner&cd=6&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us

July 22, 2010 at 2:09 PM Report abuse

Keeptomyself said...

Good grief - these people have way too much free time. Now, if he was eating watermelon sherbert, that would be something to blog about.

July 22, 2010 at 2:09 PM Report abuse

mparent said...

Keeptomyself -- that's just the thing about blogs. They can talk about whatever they want to talk about, and usually it's simple observations. Of course this paper is going to take this particular observation & run with it. They love to put down conservatives as much as possible. That isn't right, and it isn't "fair journalism" in the least; however, back to blogging... they don't need to get a life. It's what they do & there's nothing wrong with that. I personally think it was pretty smart to catch that, and I do think it was intentional, as I said in my previous comment.

July 22, 2010 at 2:14 PM Report abuse

Portland Press Harry said...

The message from PPH, in accordance with their fears that bloggers are destroying their industry, is that they are loose cannons operating on the fringe of the "respectable" media. Of course they want that spin. It is in their own best interests to discredit and demonize them. meanwhile, we rely so much upon bloggers to glean the truth from so much media BS and propaganda that it is the NEWSPAPERS we have to take with a grain of salt.

July 22, 2010 at 2:24 PM Report abuse

said...

Crackpots.... the world is full of them.

July 22, 2010 at 2:24 PM Report abuse

Anonymous said...

OK, who spiked the Kool Aid with Twisted Tea?

July 22, 2010 at 2:29 PM Report abuse

Obamination said...

So the newspaper takes another step backwards (or sends another employee to Obamaunemployment) by making the reader commentary even worse and more inconvenient than before. Bravo. How are we going to be able to maintain an identity for making hateful right wing racist remarks such as we don't like the direction the country's leadership is taking us?

July 22, 2010 at 2:30 PM Report abuse

xBLACKSHEEPx said...

Yeah, but is that what YoBama was thinking when he went to this ice cream shop? Just recently the US Dept. of "Justice", presided over by.... None other than Yobama and Attorney General Eric Holder, dropped prosecution of members of the New Black Panthers Party. A well known extremely racist and anti-semitic organization that was video taped attempting to intimidate white voters at a polling place. The prosecutor of that case came forward and swore testimony under oath that he ordered the case to be dropped because the defendents were black and the victims were white!? It's kind of ironic he's seen licking an ice cream cone in a picture (you know it's on purpose) with the black panther fist!? Maybe there is something much deeper going on? We as American reserve the right to KNOW what is going on and what plays are being made.. If you dont' question authority then you deserve to get stomped on by the government!

July 22, 2010 at 2:30 PM Report abuse

Zippy said...

Hee, hee, hee....that Beulah is a ditto head....can't think for her self.....Black Panthers.....please....yuk, yuk... Beulah gets her news from Hannity...

July 22, 2010 at 2:34 PM Report abuse

Gowens said...

Be careful out there, the big bad wolf is coming... Here's your hat...

July 22, 2010 at 2:39 PM Report abuse

IceCreamMan said...

Two things suprised me about this story; a) it didn't make Glen Beck cry, and b) it didn't lead to the Obama Administration firing anyone. Carry on.

July 22, 2010 at 2:53 PM Report abuse

xBLACKSHEEPx said...

wow. they deleted my comment... why!??? i will tell you why because i brought to all of your attention a better story than what they have to offer.. the portland daily sun has an article under the columns section, "Will NAACP repudiate racism?".. I was just comparing the irony. this will probably get deleted too, wow PPH you guys are just as crooked!

July 22, 2010 at 2:58 PM Report abuse

said...

This just made me LMAO... seriously ridiculous...

July 22, 2010 at 2:59 PM Report abuse

DDD said...

POTUS went to this ice cream shop because they benefited from the Recovery Act. http://pingree.house.gov/2010/07/obama-family-visits-ice-cream-shop-that-benefitted-from-recovery-act.shtml

July 22, 2010 at 3:00 PM Report abuse

said...

Sometimes, a fist is just a fist.. a sign is just a sign.. and there is no real symbolism involved. Careful not to read too much into every little thing..

July 22, 2010 at 3:01 PM Report abuse

Dee said...

From a 2008 interview with the shop's owner: A sign outside Mount Desert Island Ice Cream in downtown Bar Harbor features a familiar emblem in an unfamiliar way. The logo of the black power movement — a raised fist — clenches a spoon. Shop owner Linda Parker thinks the tongue-in-cheek sign adds some spice to typically bovine advertisements. “Everyone has seen enough cows in the hillside,” she says.

July 22, 2010 at 3:03 PM Report abuse

xBLACKSHEEPx said...

Live & let live people.. Is that REALLY wrong?

July 22, 2010 at 3:08 PM Report abuse

oscar said...

Maybe his subconscious mind acting out through his conscious mind....

July 22, 2010 at 3:21 PM Report abuse

said...

you twits probably blame obama for you not gettin' any "action" last night to.

July 22, 2010 at 3:25 PM Report abuse

said...

SAY IT LOUD! I MAKE ICECREAM AND I'M PROUD! RIGHT ON! You folks are 2 bricks shy of a load...

July 22, 2010 at 3:35 PM Report abuse

Puhlease said...

Only a true twit with no real argument would bring up "action" and use it as a comeback.

July 22, 2010 at 3:40 PM Report abuse

said...

Puhlease said... Only a true twit with no real argument would bring up "action" and use it as a comeback. ------------------------ truth hurts, don't it? waaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

July 22, 2010 at 3:43 PM Report abuse

said...

Ice Cream is VERY, VERY, VERY bad. It makes us obese. I thought Obama and family were against desserts...

July 22, 2010 at 3:44 PM Report abuse

Puhlease said...

Uh no, considering I had nothing to say against the sign or Obama or anything besides actually saying that there was no reason to get alarmed about it or use it as a reason to bash Obama. I thought it was cleverly done, and a pretty cool idea for a logo design. But thanks, once again, for proving you're the real twit here, lol!

July 22, 2010 at 3:59 PM Report abuse

said...

I can see how they would think that....It doesnt make sense why they would choose this logo for ice cream, it reflects nothing about ice cream...

July 22, 2010 at 3:59 PM Report abuse

mparent said...

I'm trying really hard to understand exactly why some posts are being deleted. It makes no sense. I had a very non-abusive/offensive post on here that isn't showing up anymore. Either that, or this site is very glitchy. Either way, it's annoying.

July 22, 2010 at 4:01 PM Report abuse

said...

Puhlease- i'm indifferent on the whole issue. but i laugh at all the time and energy wasted here on this website.

July 22, 2010 at 4:02 PM Report abuse

said...

DDD excellent post. your comment wshould be at the top!

July 22, 2010 at 4:03 PM Report abuse

Valdez Greene said...

CommonCents (anything but) ... you posted: With the scandal at USDOA over SHERROD's firing; the hidden practices of the OBAMA administration to promote racist policies are coming to light. RESPONSE OF A RATIONAL (NON-WINGNUT): the story you just pushed is completely false. The far right Breitbart web site edited the videotape to make Sherrod look racist, PLUS the tape was NOT while she was employed by the Obama administration AND that wasn't revealed. More right wing lies. Of course Fox ran with it! The entire tape showed Sharron being the opposite of a racist, actually finishing the story by saying she realized we need to get beyond race and do what is right, which is what she did. The Administration was too gun shy and tried to beat the story by firing her, then of course it turned out that the story was false, so they walked it back. Fox completely reversed themselves. the point here is that WE SEE HOW RIGHT WINGERS JUST PARROT FOX!! That's the point!

July 22, 2010 at 4:10 PM Report abuse

ilikepie_420 said...

LET THEM EAT ICECREAM!!!

July 22, 2010 at 4:12 PM Report abuse

meumof3 said...

No one cares. It is an ice cream shop, not an essential part of world security- even though ice cream beats anything the politicians have to offer! How about we start acting like Americans. Christmas is Christmas, black is black- not whatever term is in today, God is good, and you can have whatever opinion you want to have as long as you don't show it down anyone else's throat and you obey the laws.

July 22, 2010 at 4:15 PM Report abuse

blahblahblah said...

meumof3 -- interesting. So, we can have opinions, as long as we don't show (sic) them down anyone's throats? How exactly is anyone shoving them down anyone's throats here? From what I can tell, no one is forced to read these comments. We all come here willingly & are consenting adults. I really don't get some people who comment here.

July 22, 2010 at 4:20 PM Report abuse

Horsense said...

I copy/paste my original post from 11:00 today.. ******\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ In Philadelphia during the 2008 elections Black Panthers with billy clubs were at the front door of a poling place and indicted. The charges were dropped by mr. Obama's Justice department. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=neGbKHyGuHU http://blog.heritage.org/2010/07/21/the-new-black-panther-party-evidence-on-voter-intimidation/ Now Beulah, commonsense, blacksheep et al: The White House knows how to manipulate the media. I absolutely believe that the photo was a set up...I live here and we figured that he'd have ice cream at the Ben and Bills (I even saw a secret Service SUV parked there). This stop was out of left field. Can't wait 'till November, how about you?

July 22, 2010 at 4:26 PM Report abuse

GrammieX6 said...

"Republican idiots, Democrat idiots. They're all idiots, they just each pick their own things to be idiots about." I love it! Now if we can just add "tea baggers" oh, sorry, I meant Tea Party...no matter...they're all idiots just picking their own things to be idiots about. Thanks Anonymous #2 I think? Totally stupid...

July 22, 2010 at 4:26 PM Report abuse

Green Giant said...

See, if he were Kenyan, he would have ordered Tapioca. I scream. You scream. We all scream incoherently at passing traffic.

July 22, 2010 at 4:27 PM Report abuse

said...

Got to love Beulah... " I'm not a racist... but them blacks want to kill us white folks. They're the racists not me"

July 22, 2010 at 4:37 PM Report abuse

IceCreamMan said...

This reminds me of the time that President Bush ate ice cream in front of that giant "Mission Accomplished" sign.

July 22, 2010 at 4:38 PM Report abuse

said...

And he is eating white ice cream, while his family eats chocolate. Is he now trying to pass for a white person?

July 22, 2010 at 4:39 PM Report abuse

pam said...

Just an observation ...the hand holding the spoon is a right hand.Obama like me is a leftie.Had he noticed that subtle detail he would not have eaten their ice cream.DOWN WITH THE RIGHTIES....LEFTIE POWER.

July 22, 2010 at 4:41 PM Report abuse

Linda Bowman said...

WOW! Stupidity reigns! Never have I seen or read anything that reeks so of stupidity ....GET A LIFE!Is there nothing off limits to these people, nothing so ridiculous that they won't say let alone think?I can only feel sorry for anyone who believes this kind of trash!

July 22, 2010 at 4:53 PM Report abuse

COMMON_ CENTS said...

Did OBIE boycott the CRACKER BARREL store? Wonder if they thought he was bringing their watermelons for the watermelon ice they want to make...maybe they made it special for the Obamas? Logo ripoffs are a sign not of a quality product but advertising gimmickry. ...Don't watch fox news; just squirrels on the animal channel...hope you're not disappointed...here, have some cheese...trap is over there.

July 22, 2010 at 5:16 PM Report abuse

said...

Linda Bowman Stupid people post stupid things on here. Im woundering if they learn there studipty at home when they were grown up ?? Thats were all things is at home.

July 22, 2010 at 5:22 PM Report abuse

FatSean said...

Who cares what bloggers think? All they do is regurgitate someone else's work, adding outrage. Conservative Bloggers should get a job and stop mooching off of my taxes.

July 22, 2010 at 5:29 PM Report abuse

said...

Should of said that were all things are learn is at home

July 22, 2010 at 5:31 PM Report abuse

common_cents said...

I've read the accounts of the hash the Obama administration made of the Sherrod affair and still conclude, based on her background of activism on behalf of Black Farmers---not white ones or hispanic ones or Asian ones, but BLACK ones and her husband's substantial involvement in Black Civil rights campaigns ; was that she was appointed by the Obama administration to correct real and imagined grievances Black Farmers have against the USDOA. the video was a portrait of conflict...should she go out of her way to help a white farmer or stick with the agenda her 'bosses' set for her. I'm guessing she postponed an immediate response until she could resolve her conscience with her Black racial advocacy....which I find distasteful and illegal! the Question I raise is how many other Black Bureaucrats are using their position to 'correct' these grievances on behalf of one race, and one race only?

July 22, 2010 at 5:32 PM Report abuse

common_cents said...

Want to find out what SHERROD's real agenda was?? Watching the tape of her speech at the NAACP where the crowd was clapping and laughing while she described how she dumped on the White farmer (at her own admission) makes it clear what Obama's real goal is and the name Josef Mugabe comes to mind. no wonder the NAACP was embarrassed enough to support her firing; until the spin meisters turned it around.

July 22, 2010 at 5:41 PM Report abuse

Horsense/Caveman said...

Does POTUS have a comment on this? I just sent it to Matt Drudge..we'll see soon.

July 22, 2010 at 5:41 PM Report abuse

Dee said...

Black Panther, Sherrod, Bush...How do any of these relate to the article? Yes there are stupid comments here, there's always studpid comments on every story on PPH. People like to take advantage of posting hateful stupid things anonymously. It also makes you wonder why you read them all & post how stupid they are.

July 22, 2010 at 6:56 PM Report abuse

David Ricardo said...

Who cares about the sign, Obama is a racist regardless. He's also a progessive socialist who is living the dream of a delusional dictator. But hey, who cares right? This is America, we'll ALWAYS be free, no matter what!

July 22, 2010 at 8:34 PM Report abuse

Marco said...

Maybe Huey P. Newton can bend Yomamma over too!

July 22, 2010 at 8:53 PM Report abuse

m said...

Should be "could have".

July 22, 2010 at 8:56 PM Report abuse

Marco said...

Huey be dead!

July 22, 2010 at 8:58 PM Report abuse

longpondloon said...

I expect next we will see a sign saying Obama ate her e....Like the LBJ one in Topsham town.

July 22, 2010 at 9:01 PM Report abuse

said...

I doubt many conservatives really care about the sign, the visit other than the first couple wasting tax payers money flying the dog on a separate jet. Just liberals painting their opposition with their duplicity.

July 22, 2010 at 9:24 PM Report abuse

said...

Is it a new sign? If it was put up recently for the Pres. visit i would have to agree, but if its been there forever I guess not....

July 22, 2010 at 9:46 PM Report abuse

lotekguy said...

I think I've figured it out. If you look real close,the hand is not holding a spoon at all.....it's a MICROPHONE....that's it!!!! It's a microphone and Obama's giving a speech. That sign is really his teleprompter. See,he just can't go anywhere without his teleprompter. I know what you're thinking. That I'm just another right-wing nut job. But you're wrong.....I'm just plain NUTS.

July 22, 2010 at 10:13 PM Report abuse

said...

I think I've got this all straight now... Racism does not exist within the Republican Party or the Tea Party. In fact the only racism that exists now is "reverse racism" where whites are the victims. Golly, all the racist E mails and comments I've heard since the election must have been a figment of my imagination.

July 22, 2010 at 11:19 PM Report abuse

opinionated said...

The shop owner probably just wanted to hang up on the caller when asked about the "black" fist holding a spoon. Holy crap! Let the guy eat his danged ice cream in peace! For cryin' out loud! Did anyone see him use a toilet yet? Geesh!

July 22, 2010 at 11:38 PM Report abuse

PIM said...

Really? WWTF, mate?

July 23, 2010 at 2:29 AM Report abuse

Jake Mulligan said...

Did anyone notice tht the fist is that of an alien?????? count the fingers.

July 23, 2010 at 4:28 AM Report abuse

lotekguy said...

Over 160 postings,the most I've seen on ANY issue on these boards. The"Black Power Salute"is one of the most recognizable symbols in our culture,and anyone who doesn't immediately see it in this depiction either was born after 1970,or is willfully blind. You liberals need to get over yourselves,or have the government provide you a sense of humor.

July 23, 2010 at 5:59 AM Report abuse

Monadnock said...

Criticizing the President for taking a 3-day weekend with his family was bad enough, but now this? An ice cream sign? I miss the good old days when Republicans/conservatives were able to hold intelligent arguments over substantive policy issues. Now it's nearly all paranoid nonsense.

July 23, 2010 at 6:39 AM Report abuse

Deepak Chopra said...

The words are black and LePage is white. Deal with it.

July 23, 2010 at 9:33 AM Report abuse

Sue01 said...

There are very few informative comments here. Too many are both funny and tragic.

July 23, 2010 at 9:44 AM Report abuse

said...

The tea partiers should love the sign. The fist actually symbolized "power to the PEOPLE" in an era when "the people" weren't being heard.

July 23, 2010 at 10:08 AM Report abuse

EdwynThrash@yahoo.com said...

Beyond Gay!!!

July 23, 2010 at 10:29 AM Report abuse

jj said...

Good grief can't a person just enjoy an ice cream. Even the president should be allowed that w/out everyone jumping on a polital band wagon or another. To me the sign looks like a little/big kid getting ready to dig into a nice messy sundae.

July 23, 2010 at 10:37 AM Report abuse

ACHILLES said...

Another idiotic story by PPH. How about working on an issue with real consequences such as the expiration of the Bush tax cuts this Jan. Maybe you could educate the lefty dopes who favor this tax tsunami because they erroneously believe only the rich will have to pay. Give real journalism a go. You may be able to salvage this piteous rag.

July 23, 2010 at 10:37 AM Report abuse

said...

CommonCents (none whatsover), The Sharrod story exposed the deceit of the right wing media. That's a fact you can't accept.

July 23, 2010 at 10:43 AM Report abuse

said...

And yet, Achilles, you keep reading and spewing your misery. Perhaps it is time for you to find another venue?

July 23, 2010 at 11:20 AM Report abuse

Dino90000000 said...

It's a black and white print on a board. If the hand and the spoon were white it wouldn't show up. Paranoia big destroyer.

July 23, 2010 at 4:05 PM Report abuse

bGl2ZWlubWFpbmU%3D said...

You people know whats wrong with this world is all the educated idiots in it. You know who you are. Your the ones that always have to take something good and make it bad. Your the morons that sit in a cubical shelterd from the outside world and controlled like a puppet to find the bad things. Wake up.

July 23, 2010 at 7:53 PM Report abuse

lotekguy said...

Thank God and the Founding Fathers for the First Amendment. I couldn't imagine life without all these enlightened--and enlightening--comments.

July 23, 2010 at 9:47 PM Report abuse