Halloween Effigy of Sarah Palin Causes Controversy

I can't seem to embed the video on this page, so click the link for the newscast. In summary, though, a couple in West Hollywood has hanged a mannequin dressed as Sarah Palin from the eaves trough of their home. On both sides of the aisle, people are outraged, but local law enforcement have been reluctant to do anything about it.

I've transcribed the newscast, below:

Anchor: "Just eight days until we pick our next president, and the race is getting even uglier. The FBI says they foiled a skinhead plot to assassinate Barack Obama."

Anchor: "But here locally, they're railin' on Palin. One local home's Halloween display is more of a trick than a treat. And now this Halloween display is drawing the attention of law enforcement."

Anchor: "Jaime Chambers is live outside this house of horrors in West Hollywood. Jaime?"

Well, Emmett, Leela, tonight authorities are reporting that the Secret Service is looking into the effigy of Sarah Palin. And with the election just days away, emotions in this neighborhood are boiling over.

The effigy is meticulous, from the hair, to the dress, even down to the glasses: a noose tied around the neck of a Sarah Palin mannequin. And on top of that, there's John McCain -- burning in the chimney. The homeowners say it's just a joke, but even with people offended, they're not willing to take it down.

Chad Michael Morisette, homeowner: "Step back and look at the big picture. You know, and look at our house and see that it's -- we're days away from Halloween. And it's a spooky kind of feeling. It's not like this is July and we made this insane political statement."

The Sarah Palin effigy has people from both parties outraged.

Cheryal Chang, Democratic supporter: "This is completely offensive -- it does not represent our neighborhood. It gives our neighborhood a bad name."

Larry Green, Republican: "Imagine if I put a noose around Barack Obama's -- put it on my house. I think Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, the NAACP would have every right to demand to take it down. I demand that this freak take this thing down."

Hate crime complaints have been made to the sheriffs, but sheriffs say people should just take a breath.

Unnamed law enforcement officer: "It's Halloween. It's a, uh, visual prank, and so right now it doesn't rise to, uh, a crime of any level."

Some residents say Palin would find the murder mockup funny.

Rebecca Corry, neighbor: "She loves to kill stuff, and you know, with a gun -- and she's all, you know, she's a badass. And so, um, I think she's got a good sense of humor."

Reporter: "What if it was a Barack Obama--"

Corry: "Um, I'd light the house on fire."

Reporter: "Think that's sort of a... doub--"

Corry: "A double standard? Yes, it is. That's, uh -- if you were to look up 'double standard,' that's probably what it'd be: exactly what I just said would be a double standard."

Now this murder mock-up has been here for three weeks, and out of all the anger that's been over the effigy of Sarah Palin, it's sort of interesting to note that -- out of all the people we spoke with today -- not one person mentioned the fact that John McCain seems to be up there in the chimney surrounded in fire. Just sort of interesting. Live from West Hollywood, I'm Jaime Chambers.