Dan O'Donnell spotted something disturbing at one of the Halloween Express locations at State Fair Park.
A Scott Walker mask had a bloody knife through its head.
Read O'Donnell's story.
He writes:
A Scott Walker mask (which sells for $9.99) was hung up right behind the checkout counter, with a bloody knife headpiece sticking through it. I did a double-take, not quite believing that one of the region’s biggest Halloween retailers could possibly think that such a provocative, violent political statement would be appropriate to display so prominently in its store.It turns out that the knife on the Walker mask remained in place at the Halloween Express more than 30 hours after O'Donnell saw it.
"It was completely inappropriate," said store owner Jon Majdoch, who added that the display was taken down as soon as it was brought to his attention. "I can pretty much tell you what happened. This is my speculation, but [I think] a customer came to the counter with one of the knives, didn't want to purchase it, and an employee thought it would be funny to put it on the head."
"I'm a very conservative person," Majdoch added. "I'm somebody that has taken 31 employees and made them into owners of businesses. I'm not going to fire somebody over this."
"I also don't think it's as big a deal as it's being made out to be," he said. "I mean, we carry masks in the store that are probably equally offensive to just about everybody if they want to be."
This mask, however, was one of if not the most prominently displayed in the store and, given the many death threats Governor Walker has received after proposing collective bargaining reforms in early 2011, I asked Majdoch whether he believed that his store's display was especially provocative, no matter the reason it was put up.
"I agree, it wasn't in good taste. But I also don't think that it's an end-of-the-world-type situation. I mean, it's in poor taste. People tell jokes that are in poor taste all the time, and people apologize for them. I'm apologizing for it."
Of course, if an Obama mask or a Hillary mask had a bloody knife headpiece on it then there would be national attention.
When conservatives are the targets, then it's all in good fun, no big deal.
Majdoch called Mark Belling's program yesterday to discuss the matter.
Although he admitted the anti-Walker display was inappropriate and apologized for it, he doesn't know, and doesn't care, which employee was responsible.
Majdoch, claiming to be a Walker supporter, said it was an indefensible display, yet he wasn't going to take any action regarding the matter.
OK.
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Read: Wisconsin Democrats and their "High Speed Fail" bloody anti-Walker bumper sticker
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