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Tuesday, February 24, 2009 By Emily Johnson
Advertising
At first glance, three-year-old Adolf Hitler Campbell is just another happy child, ignorant to the outrage aroused by his first two names. On December 14, 2008, a local ShopRite told Adolf’s parents, Heath and Deborah Campbell, that they would not inscribe their son’s full name onto the birthday cake being ordered.
The Campbells, residing in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, have three children, all with names of historically significant Nazi figures including Joyce Lynn Aryan Nation Campbell and Honszlynn Hinler Jeannie Campbell.
When ABC News asked about why a parent would name their child a name that seems to glorify the evils of history, Heath Campbell said, “They need to accept a name. A name’s a name. The kid isn’t going to grow up and do what [Hitler] did.”
The Campbells’ living room was found to be decorated with war books, German combat knives, and swastikas. Heath Campbell claims that neither he nor his family is racist or prejudiced in any way and uses a birthday party they threw the previous Sunday as an example. There were around 12 people at the party, including several children who were of mixed race. “If we’re so racist, then why would I have let them come into my home?” said Campell.
Karen Meleta, a spokeswoman for ShopRite, said, “We reserve the right not to print anything on the cake that we deem to be inappropriate. We consider this inappropriate.” The Campbells had a similar situation happen a few years ago when the patriarch requested a swastika to be included in a cake decoration. In the end, for the sake of their son, the family got the cake inscribed in a Pennsylvania Wal-Mart instead.
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