Dude! Is that a pit bull?

Or a crack pipe?

Geraldo Rivera doesn't see a difference.

His psychotic break with reality lines him up with the Humane Society of the United States.

So, who pushed poor Geraldo over the edge?

And why?

Blowing smoke: Did Geraldo's moustache get in his eyes?

Our man on the news beat, the guy asking tough questions in his relentless pursuit of truth and justice --and raking in mega-bucks as he does it-- Geraldo Rivera --placed both feet firmly in cowflop.

Geraldo announced that he can't tell the difference between a dog and a crack pipe.

Or maybe its the difference between dogs and penises he has trouble with. Its hard to tell, based on his most recent rant on "pit bulls" televised courtesy Bill O'Reilly.

Well to me if you have more than one pit bull it's like having a crack pipe. There's only one reason for it. It's for sadistic reasons. . . .

I think there's almost a sexual empowerment there. There's a sickness that goes on that I think really has to be examined. If you have one of these animals ask yourself why.

Yucking it up: Moustaches, manhood and Geraldo Rivera's dirty little secrets

Speaking of sickness, does the twisted vibe coming off Geraldo's comments make you uncomfortable? Learning more than you ever wanted to know about his fantasies of sexual potency?

You're not alone. Geraldo's many friends and admirers in show biz (not) are creeped out, too. He's been lampoon-bait for years, but things are heating up.

Back in the day, pit bull owner Jon Stewart was once inspired to walk a mile in Geraldo's shoes.

Ok, make that walk a mile with a manly Geraldo-stache hanging off his face.

But things are really getting interesting now.

Geraldo puts the Panic in HisPANIC

Adventures of the Coconut Caucus' La Bloguera picked up on Lewis Black's most recent skewering of the Geraldo debacle:

As you may have noticed sometimes I get white guys like Colbert to do my job of mocking our HisPANIC leaders, now it is the turn of a jewish guy to do this job for me…

Race, ethnicity, and pit bulls: HSUS and Geraldo paint in living color

Rivera's perverted little experiment in negative stereotypes for dogs and dog owners practically lip-synchs the Humane Society of the United States' discrimination-is-good mantra. When HSUS spokesperson Pam Rogers wrote to the Louisville, KY, Metro City Council in June, 2006 and proposed breed specific legislation (all the while lamenting the plight of pit bulls), she took the opportunity to trash their owners, too:

Pit bulls – There is no doubt that pit bulls are in bad shape in America right now. They are likely the most popular dog in the country, but unfortunately, they are also the dogs of choice for drug dealers, gang members, and anyone else who is looking for a dog to be a status symbol.

Like a good little toadie, Geraldo stuck to the suggested guidelines for smearing dog owners. Then he tacked on his own special twist:

I watched [O'Reilly's] discussion with the hip-hop expert, is the — you know pit bulls have become accessories to many of the kids. Not just ghetto youngsters. But many kids who feel alienated in some way. . .

Hip hop experts and ghetto youngsters. . .

Understand: HSUS, and Geraldo-the-clueless-mouthpiece, aren't targeting just any dog owners. They're going after the lowest hanging fruit. The pit bull owners.

That "gangmember/drugdealer/criminal" imagery is deliberate. Its tactical. They can't target "people like us." Not yet, anyway.

Criminal/gangbanging/drugdealer is shorthand for poor people. Minorities. Urban youth.

Its elitist. And its racist.

Can you say "hypocrite"?

Ironic that Geraldo Rivera, that boricua extraordinaraire and proud member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists fails to understand that HSUS is profiling people exactly like he is.

Geraldo's name ends in a vowel, too

NAHJ's code of ethics includes a specific caution on prejudice.

The journalist will make every effort to present a proper and just image of those groups which make up society. Thus, he/she will not promote prejudicial or ethnic slurs. . . .

Oooopsie, Geraldo.

Playing dog owner against dog
owner. . .who wins?

The Humane Society of the United States and its team of well paid "issues specialists" do. These are the people--like Adam Goldfarb--who spend all day, everyday, pitching stories about "criminal gangbanging drug-dealing pit bulls owners" to susceptible journalists like Geraldo Rivera.

Just a little bit of prejudice?

There is no such thing as "justified" discrimination. Negative stereotypes promote mistrust, fear. . .and ultimately, hatred and biogotry.

Its a pity that dupes like Geraldo think they are immune from profiling. They are not. No one is.

What goes around comes around, Geraldo Rivera.