NEWSFLASH: Obama worshiper exposed as loon.

Just when I thought things couldn’t get any weirder around here in Amarillo (Centrally Located Between Two Oceans!™), it did. Mrs. Digital was at a local supermarket a few minutes ago, and some Obama supporter when all Zsa-Zsa Gabor on her. That’s right. My significant other was wearing the tshirt you see pictured to the left (available online, by the way, through my wife’s company, www.vectorright.com), minding her own business, when some raving loon…um, I mean “Obama supporter” walked up to her and said “Bitch!” and proceeded to slap her, open handed, across her face. Keep in mind, this was not at some seedy “Stop ‘n Rob” drive up convenience store. Nope. This happened at what is by all accounts, the nicest, most up-scale grocery store in Amarillo.

Immediately, my wife was surrounded by other customers, and the manager ran over to offer his assistance. He asked if my wife wanted him to call the police. My wife is one tough cookie, and (she told me whilst recounting the event) figured that the police have better things to do, so she declined his offer. The manager then escorted the woman who assaulted my wife out of the store.

Pause with me for a nanosecond, and consider the ramifications of this incident.

I’d love to say something like “I’m sure not all Obama supporters are like this woman…this must be an isolated incident.” Based on what I’m seeing, however, there are a disproportionately large number of Obama acolytes that are…well…completely, full-goose Bozo. In contrast, I’ve yet to see any McCain supporter do anything half as outrageous. Can you imagine a McCain or Palin supporter walking up to someone sporting a shirt indicating support for Obama (or disdain for McCain), calling them a name and slaping them? I can’t. Lest you think something like, “well, it’s your own fault for wearing a shirt that expresses negative sentiments…you should be wearing a pro-McCain shirt if you feel that way,” you’re missing the point. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to roll my eyes, bite my tongue, or otherwise restrain myself from commenting on someone else’s choice of apparel. I’ve seen everything from anti-McCain and anti-Bush shirts to anti-Christian shirts. I’ve even seen a shirt insisting that 9/11 was a Bush-led conspiracy. I’ve found some of these shirts – and sentiments – pretty offensive. But it is a free country. And until that changes, we should all have a right to express our opinions, even if they are unpopular.

Frankly, until McCain nominated Palin, I was not voting FOR McCain, but AGAINST Obama. I have to really search for things that I can agree with him on (there aren’t many), and I disagree with virtually ALL his ideas on how implement change. I don’t like the people with which he surrounds himself, and I find him long on glib and short on substance. Down here in Texas we call that “All hat and no cattle.” I don’t see McCain as a real conservative, so I saw him as my choice only because he’s closer to my positions than Obama. When Palin came along, suddenly I’ve become quite enthusiastic about McCain/Palin. (In fact, I spent the better part of yesterday working on a line of Palin and McCain/Palin merchandise for vectorright.com.) But the simple fact is, if someone wants to wear a shirt critical of a politician, they shouldn’t have to worry about being assaulted by some loon that supports the candidate you don’t like. Period.

I drive a Wrangler, and on the back of my Jeep is a small bumper sticker, which proudly labels me as a “TYPICAL WHITE PERSON.” You can’t imagine some of the dirty looks and catcalls I’ve gotten over that one, and Amarillo is largely a conservative-leaning town. The funny thing is that if you understand the context of the statement, you’d also understand that it’s rife with post-modern irony, especially on the back of MY Jeep. When Obama used that phrase, he was trying to make a point that even HIS grandmother exhibited what many would refer to as “racist” feelings. To make a statement like that was…well…racist, in and of itself. What IS a “typical white person,” anyway? I don’t think there is one, because to call someone “typical” is to stereotype them. To stereotype them requires that you discriminate between them and your own group. From there, it’s just a hop, skip and a jump to full-blown bigotry. Imagine the howls of protest, if McCain, Romney, or Huckabee had called Michelle Obama a “TYPICAL BLACK WOMAN.” Their political career would have been over in an instant. My decision to put that bumper sticker on my car is an effort to expose Obama’s statement for what it is – racist. (Okay…it’s also to mock the Democrats, but think of that as a bonus.) Do I have a right to do so? You bet. Do you have a right to let that make you angry? Sure. But do you have a right to vandalize my car or in some way assault me? Not if you want to stay out of jail, you don’t.

Had I been there at the grocery store, I suspect I would have been tempted to put some of my martial arts training to use. At the very least, the perp would have had all 6’4″ and 250 lbs of me to intimidate her into one very sincere-sounding apology. And, unlike my wife, I think I would have called the police and had the idiot arrested. You just don’t get to go around slapping people in public without paying a price, no matter how looney you might be.