Headshot

Georgia has quite a few silly laws. For instance, it’s illegal to curse in front of a corpse in a funeral home, change the clothes on a storefront mannequin without shades on the window, house a donkey in a bathtub, carry an ice cream cone in your back pocket, or own a sex toy. Oddly, members of the general assembly cannot be written a speeding ticket while in session. Routinely, tax dollars are wasted for the general assembly to introduce and argue even sillier new legislation. The latest installment of frivolous bills comes complements of Representative Pam Dickerson (D) of Conyers, Georgia. Dickerson’s HB 680 would make it a misdemeanor to photoshop the head or face of someone onto a nude or lewd body and publish the photo to the Internet.

First of all, let’s be clear. If this bill had been introduced prior to 2008, Sarah Palin would have at least twelve of her fifteen minutes of fame left. But in predictable fashion, the Internet has been flooded with images of Representative Dickerson’s head pasted on every nude image imaginable. There’s a Facebook page encouraging photoshoppers to post their own Dickerson creations. And this week, Conan O’Brian got into the act with his own collection of very creatively photoshopped images of celebrities.

It’s been a busy time for Photoshop lately. In December, North Koreans caught the wrath of editors across the globe for photoshopping an image of Kim Ill Jung’s funeral procession. But what prompted Rep. Dickerson to drop this bill in December is a mystery. Perhaps she’s tired of seeing Palin in the red, white, and blue bikini. Should it make it out of committee, which is unlikely, it has little chance of seeing a vote. But for now, Dickerson has created her own Internet sensation, as HB 680 has become the laughing stock of the world.

And for the record, should HB 680 pass, I did not create this Sarah Palin photo. I merely posted it here for editorial purposes. Seriously.