Effigy of Palin hanging by noose widely condemned

AN EFFIGY of US Republican vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin hanging by a noose as part of a Hallowe’en display has drawn hundreds of complaints, but local officials said the homeowner was covered by free speech rights.

A mannequin dressed to resemble the Alaska governor, with her trademark beehive hairdo and glasses, was hung by the neck from the eaves of the home in famously liberal west Hollywood.

On the roof, a mannequin of Republican presidential candidate John McCain, protruded from the chimney surrounded in flames, holding his head as he was apparently burned alive.