A Righteous Moment

Ever since I put my "Obama for President" sign in my front yard I have been a little paranoid that someone would steal it, but -- as the saying goes -- just because you're paranoid doesn't mean that someone is not out to get you. Last week, while I was feeding my son lunch, I saw a battered mini-van drive north by my house and the drive immediately slowed and craned his neck to peer back towards my driveway. I immediately thought, "He's coveting my Obama sign." He turned around and pulled up just between our house and our neighbor to the south. I surreptitiously stepped outside and stood by our cars just about six feet from the campaign sign. The battered mini-van was spattered with gray primer and Seahawks stickers. The driver got out and walked over to end of my driveway and the second that his hands grasped the sides of Obama sign I exclaimed "Don't take that sign!" He popped his head up with its rooster like coif and wrap-around shades, obviously surprised at my presence. He tried to quickly regain his composure and asked, "Oh, are these easy to get?" I replied, "I don't know, but don't take that one." He slinked back towards his mini-van and I called after him, "We watch out for our neighbors around here." I didn't picture him as an embittered Republican looking to take out the oppositions campaign signs. He had the demeanor of a druggie looking to sell the sign for a few bucks. His vehicle wasn't sporting any McCain, or even Dino Rossi stickers, just football fan proclamations. I went back inside our house to give my son some company while he finished his lunch, and to brag about my little victory. My righteous moment for the day.

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Republican hypocrites love to label liberals as wussies and wimps unable to understand the inherent dangers in the world, but, speaking for myself, I'm a veteran and I own guns. I also think that right wingers with the loudest exhortations about the necessity of war should be the first ones drafted. No more lame excuses like having a boil on your ass preventing you from serving in the military (hello Rush Limbaugh.) No more daddies procuring cushy stateside posts for you, while your classmates volunteer for active duty (hello George W. Bush.) The list of right wing chicken hawks that send working class Americans to their death in foreign lands, but have managed to avoid service themselves, is nearly endless (Dick Cheney, Newt Gingrich, Fred Thompson, Mitt Romney, Rudy "9/11" Giuliani...) Somehow the Republicans have always managed to paint veterans on the left (Michael Dukakis, John Kerry) as wimps. If there really was a hell there would be a very hot room reserved for these hypocritical cowards in the Republican party, but since there is not a righteous god to sort out the wheat from the chaff, it's up to conscientious citizens to hold them responsible for their lies and the harm those lies have caused.

This election the Republicans have actually nominated a real veteran and former POW, but he doesn't have a very good record of supporting the troops on veteran's issues. McCain gets a D rating from the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, while Barack Obama gets a B. The Disabled Veterans of America gave John McCain a 20 percent rating, while Barack Obama earned 86 percent. The most glaring recent example of McCain's non support was last year when he verbally opposed the recent G.I. Bill to stay in agreement with the Bush Administration. The when the bill was brought to the senate floor he did not even have the balls to show up. Instead he was at a fund-raiser in San Diego.