RONALD MCDONALD WAS BURNED AND BEHEADED IN VERMONT IN FRONT OF THE
RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE FACILITIES.
HE HAD HIS HANDS
AND HEAD AND FEET CUT OFF AND BURNED.
BY RANDY BOLTON.
NOT A REAL PERSON.
JUST TO BE CLEAR.
IN RESPONSE, THE RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE DIRECTORS
SAID THAT THE KIDS WERE TRAUMATIZED, AND WHEN GUESTS
WHO STAYED HERE IN THE PAST HEARD ABOUT IT THEY WERE DEVASTATED.
A MOTHER, WHO STAYED AT THE RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE WHILE
HER SON WAS GETTING TREATMENT, SAYS, "IT'S JUST NOT FUNNY.
IT'S THE LAST PLACE WHERE YOU'D WANT TO HURT SOMEONE."
IF YOU ARE NOT FAMILIAR WITH THE RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE OR
FOUNDATION, IT IS A NONPROFIT FOUNDATION THAT OFFERS
HOUSING AND OTHER SERVICES TO FAMILIES WHOSE FAMILY
MEMBERS MAY BE SICK, MANY OF THEM TERMINALLY ILL.
THE PHILOSOPHY BEHIND THE ORGANIZATION IS THAT YOU SHOULD
BE CLOSE TO FAMILY WHEN YOU ARE GOING THROUGH TOUGH TIMES.
A LOT OF TIMES WHEN YOU ARE GOING THROUGH CHEMOTHERAPY
OR OTHER SERVICES, YOU HAVE TO GO BACK AND FORTH FROM THE
HOSPITAL AND IT IS EXPENSIVE, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT IS FAR AWAY.
THEY PROVIDE FREE PLACES FOR FAMILIES TO STAY WHILE KIDS
ARE GETTING TREATMENT.
OFTEN TIMES KIDS TAKE THE LAST PHOTO OUTSIDE THE HOSPITAL
WITH THE RONALD MCDONALD STATUE.
THE IDEA THAT YOU WOULD GET SOME KIND OF SICK ENJOYMENT OUT OF THIS.
MAYBE SOME OF THESE KIDS THAT WERE DOING IT, TEENS, WHATEVER, DON'T
QUITE GET WHAT THEY ARE DOING.
BECAUSE IT IS WEIRD, IT IS
BARBARIC WHAT THEY HAVE DONE.
GOD BLESS, I GUESS, MCDONALD'S.
MCDONALD'S IS A SUPPORTER OF THIS, THAT'S HOW IT BEGAN.
THE CHARITY, NOT THE RONALD MCDONALD STATUE DESTRUCTION.
IT IS FUNNY THAT MAYBE THE DEFINITIVE SYMBOL OF CORPORATE
AMERICAN CAPITALISM IS THE, IS SIMULTANEOUSLY THE SYMBOL OF
FAMILIES IN OUR DARKEST HOUR.
THAT SAID, NOBODY ELSE IS DOING
IT, GOD BLESS.
WE CANíT THANK YOU ENOUGH FOR DOING IT, BUT IT'S WEIRD.
IT'S NOT A GENERIC CLOWN, IT'S A GUY SAYING EAT A QUARTER
POUNDER.
PERHAPS THAT'S THE VERY THING THEY WERE TRYING TO ATTACK.
THE
VERY VEHICLE, THE ORGANIZATION THAT IS MAKING THESE KIDS SICK
WITH FRENCH FRIES, HAMBURGERS, MILKSHAKES, IS ALSO PROVIDING
HEALTH CARE.
BUT, A HUGE MISCONCEPTION ABOUT THE RONALD
MCDONALD HOUSE IS THAT THE ORGANIZATION GETS MOST OF ITS
FUNDING FROM MCDONALD'S, WHEN IN FACT MCDONALD'S ONLY PROVIDES
ABOUT TWENTY PERCENT OF THE FUNDING.
IT COMES FROM OTHER
FUNDERS LIKE COCA-COLA, PRIVATE SPONSORS, AND INDIVIDUALS.
PLACES THAT PROVIDE MORE NUTRITION FOR KIDS.
I DON'T THINK IT'S FAIR TO SUGGEST THAT THESE KIDS ARE
SICK BECAUSE OF MCDONALD'S, THAT SAID ñ
FAST FOOD IS NOT GOOD FOR YOU ñ
BUT IT'S NOT GIVING NINE-YEAR-OLD CANCER.
ALSO, IN TERMS OF THIS BEING AN ARCHAIC THING, I'M GOING
TO MAKE MY STATEMENTS BY DESTROYING THE SYMBOL, I'M
GLAD YOU THOUGHT OF IT, BUT I THINK YOU PUT MORE THOUGHT
INTO IT THAN THE PEOPLE WHO BEHEADED THIS STATUTE.
I THINK THEY JUST DIDN'T KNOW.
I THINK PEOPLE CRITICIZE MCDONALD'S PHILANTHROPY AS
SIMPLY A VEHICLE FOR PUBLIC RELATIONS, AND I THINK THIS
IS A PHYSICAL MANIFESTATION OF THAT.
BECAUSE OTHERWISE, WHY IN THE WORLD WOULD YOU WANT TO
WHACK THIS GUYíS HEAD OFF?
THAT'S A CLASSIC SIMPSONS EPISODE.
THEY TOOK THE HEAD OFF THE STATUE, NOW EVERYBODY WANTS
TO DO IT BECAUSE BART SIMPSON MADE IT SO COOL, DUDE, BACK
IN THE 80S.
THAT IS TO SUGGEST THIS IS SOME KIND OF LEFTIST ANARCHY.
ITíS ANONYMOUS.
I THINK IT'S DRUNK IDIOTS.
DRUNK IDIOTS THAT ARE COSTING THE FOUNDATION ABOUT $7500
TO REPLACE IT.
A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE DECIDED TO CONTRIBUTE MONEY TO HELP
OUT THE PLACE, BECAUSE IT IS NOT JUST A STATUE, IT IS A
SYMBOL THAT PEOPLE ARE ATTACHED TO.
LIKE I SAID, IT HAS EMOTIONAL VALUE FOR A LOT OF FAMILIES
THAT WERE THERE DURING A VERY DIFFICULT TIME.
IF ANYBODY DESERVES TO NOT HAVE ANYTHING LIKE THAT
HAPPEN, IT'S THEM,