Cutout Daddies

[Oilwellian]

Via Daily Kos:

Maine National Guard members in Iraq and Afghanistan are never far from the thoughts of their loved ones.

Welcome to the ``Flat Daddy" and ``Flat Mommy" phenomenon, in which life-size cutouts of deployed service members are given by the Maine National Guard to spouses, children, and relatives back home.

The Flat Daddies ride in cars, sit at the dinner table, visit the dentist, and even are brought to confession, according to their significant others on the home front.

``I prop him up in a chair, or sometimes put him on the couch and cover him up with a blanket," said Kay Judkins of Caribou, whose husband, Jim, is a minesweeper mechanic in Afghanistan. ``The cat will curl up on the blanket, and it looks kind of weird. I've tricked several people by that. They think he's home again."

At the request of relatives, about 200 Flat Daddy and Flat Mommy photos have been enlarged and printed at the state National Guard headquarters in Augusta. The families cut out the photos, which show the Guard members from the waist up, and glue them to a $2 piece of foam board.


http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2006/08/30/guard_families_cope_in_two_dimensions/

[Joanne98]

1. I posted this earlier but it didn't catch on. K&R!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x2020115

[Oilwellian]

10. Sorry, didn't see it

No surprise this is the 3rd time it was posted. It really is quite stunning.

[babylonsister]

2. I saw this on the news this a.m. and think it's just bizarre.

Gave me the creeps.

[SoCalDem]

3. Creepy is right!! ..n/t

[damntexdem]

5. Will GOP election officials let the flat daddies vote?

Flat votes may be counted even if ours are not.

[AlienGirl]

4. There is something heartbreakingly sad about this.

[Book Lover]

6. Hey, for those who it helps, more power to them (nm)

[AndyA]

7. What a shame that these kids can't have the REAL parent at home!

But in Bush's "No Child Left Behind" America, it's rare to find a child that HASN'T BEEN LEFT BEHIND. Bush is set on destroying American families with his war. Why does George Bush hate America? And American families??

[shadowknows69]

8. Ok this is just completely wrong

Do the kids and spouses keep "cutout daddy or mommy" when they get killed in one of Bush's war? Maybe prop him up at the wake with a drink taped to his hand?

[unblock]

9. hmmm, steve martin's "the lonely guy", anyone?

[misternormal]

11. How about replacing the *admin with these???? n/t

[left is right]

12. Up thread is an item about the allegations of soldiers being spat upon

You reckon these flat daddies will suffer the same allege fate? We must nip this in the bud. Nip it - nip it, I say.

Sorry, I was channeling Deputy Fife, there for a minute