Unshelved by Bill Barnes and Gene Ambaum
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Friday, May 04, 2007

I was mortified this morning

when I opened up the Herald-Leader to the 'Weekender' section and found a caricature of the Queen of England (visiting our fair town for the Kentucky Derby, among other things) in prim dress, a judge's wig, and one of those hats college students drink beer from.

No kidding.

I unfortunately can't find a picture of it online. Here is the accompanying story: The royal whee!: For a good time at the Kentucky Derby, Queen Elizabeth II just has to take these 10 suggestions to heart; she'll be kicking up those dowdy heels in no time

You get the gist, no doubt. Now, maybe some people will think me devoid of humour, but I can't believe 1) that this amount of bad taste made it into print and as a result 2) may make Kentuckians seem even more hopeless than others think us. I am embarrassed as a Lexingtonian and a Kentuckian that the paper chose to mock a visiting dignitary like the Queen. I don't think people should go around genuflecting her, of course, but a little respect is in order. She is, after all, a queen, something I think most Americans just don't get.

I just shake my head at this. It's not the best foot to put forward, anyway.

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