by Thomas Keister

Nothing like a clown crying, I always say. Found this running amok online while watching WWE Smackdown! tonight, and promptly cracked the hell up. The photo, snapped by Marshall Gorby of the Springfield (Ohio) News-Sun, shows members of the Antioch Shrine Funster Clown Unit giving what the paper calls the "highest honor a deceased clown can ever receive," by acting as pallbearers in full clown dress for Norman "Boppo" Thompson, a life member of the unit, at his funeral earlier today.

Don't get me wrong, people. It seems to be a heartfelt send-off for a colleague, but tell me you didn't initially snicker a bit when you saw this. You didn't? You're a lying motherfucker, but it's okay. I forgive you.

I have other unanswered questions as well, after checking out this story. It is a unique story, I grant you, but the slideshow on this had 25 pictures. 25 pictures?!? What the hell, was Boppo the first clown off the boat at Normandy or something? Is there really that damn little going on in Springfield, Ohio and the surrounding areas? When the hearse arrived at the cemetery, did all of the clowns pile out, one after another? Not to mention the potential trauma if some little kid were to see that and freak out. Can you imagine the mental association of clowns taking a body to put in the cold, cold ground? That's a real fat therapy bill on down the line...

At any rate, farewell, Boppo. Someone will have some big shoes to fill, unless they buried you in them, in which case I have one last question. How hard was it to get the lid closed?