I had assumed that Krispy Kreme's plan to give a free doughnut to anyone visiting its US stores on inauguration day was just another of the countless commercial efforts to jump on the Obama bandwagon for financial gain. As the company explains: "[We are] honouring American's sense of pride and freedom of choice on Inauguration Day, by offering a free doughnut of choice to every customer on this historic day." (Brits can get a free coffee -- not a free doughnut -- by going into one of Krispy Kreme's UK locations and saying 'Yes we can', and thereby looking like a bit of a fool. The offer ends tomorrow.) But apparently it's much more sinister than that, according to an important and thoroughly persuasive press release from the American Life League, which campaigns against abortion, and also doughnuts:
Celebrating his inauguration with 'Freedom of Choice' doughnuts - only two days before the anniversary of the Supreme Court decision to decriminalize abortion - is not only extremely tacky, it's disrespectful and insensitive and makes a mockery of a national tragedy.
The press release is headlined "Krispy Kreme Celebrates Obama With Pro-Abortion Doughnuts", and the logic would seem to be that any reference to the word "choice" is automatically a reference to the issue of reproductive rights. However, there is a hole at the centre of this logic. [Miami New Times, via Wonkette]
UPDATE: A trip down memory lane, courtesy of Metafilter: What is it about doughnut retailers and their attempts to promote sinister political messages via the medium of doughnuts?
