Yeetle Box - Of Monkeys and Men

A Utah couple who earlier apologized for a Barack Obama sock monkey that was decried as racist say they may still sell the toy.

David and Elizabeth Lawson of West Jordan, owners of TheSockObama LLC, said after a swarm of bloggers decried their toy as racist that the sock monkey based on the Illinois senator and presumptive Democratic nominee for president would not be manufactured.

However, the Lawsons said Monday that "a few new opportunities have been presented" to produce the monkey. They did not specify what these "new opportunities" were, but traders on Wall Street have been anxiously awaiting the Obama Sock Monkey.

The couple also issued a statement detailing some of the hate mail and death threats they have received, as well as decrying what they consider to be hypocrisy on the part of those who labeled the toy racist.

Said Elizabeth Lawson, "We've been accused of racism. Of cashing in on the genetic commonality of the black man with the monkey. Of perpetuating the myth that black men are apes. Well, these are hate crimes. White people have a right to speak their minds. It's in our Constitution. Look it up! Don't we live in a free society where anyone who works hard can get ahead?"

The Lawsons are not the only ones cashing in on the Monkey/Obama caricature. Mike Norman, owner of the Mulligan's Bar and Grill in Marietta, George, has been selling T-shirts depicting the cartoon monkey Curious George and the slogan "Obama in '08."

Norman, who began selling the shirts in late April, has said they are not meant to be racist. He said he thinks the Illinois senator and the character "look so much alike." He added, "And besides, this is Georgia. Where's are reparations for that Sherman dude torching Atlanta? Huh? Ya see?"

Norman's daughter Brandi Nabors, the distant relative of Jim Nabors -well-known for his Gomer Pyle character and hilarious signature phrase "Surprise, surprise, surprise"- is worried that her father's "opinions" might spark more than criticism. Patrons of Mikes Bar and Grill have reassured her that her father's opinions are protected under the Confederate Flag Act the patrons invented while dousing a few cold ones earlier this month.

"I don't like people picking on my daddy, cause he's my daddy," she said. "He might come across as a dumb redneck to a lot of people, but the man is brilliant. Besides, he's not only my daddy, he's my uncle and my brother!"

The Lawsons are fighting back with equally brilliant logic and political conviction. "It's OK for there to be hundreds of thousands of Google sites containing references to our current president's resemblance to a chimpanzee," the statement said. "However, it's not OK to make that same association regarding our possible next president."

These "Google sites" are still being sought. To date, no one has been able to find these "Google sites." However, Google has noted an uptick in domain sales recently. Some of the more popular domains include obamaisamonkey.com,

manormonkey.com,

obamakong.com, and, oddly,

niggerobamamustdie.com.

Amid the hoopla, Sen. John McCain was heard to say, "I really don't know what all the fuss is about. He's black. He's a monkey. Am I missing something?"

The Yeetle Box