Not Gonna Take It Anymore

I have an admission to make. In the past, I have been silent when the lady at the grocery store and various other miscreants have made jokes and said outrageous things about Obama.

I was afraid someone would key my car, or *gasp* think I don't belong.
Not anymore. I was at the gas station today, and a woman said, "Wanna hear an Obama joke?" and I said, "I voted for him. Still want to tell me?" Then I proceeded to tell her why I voted for Obama, which went over like an unleaded balloon. I know I probably didn't change her mind, but I planted a seed.

I wear my Obama shirts everywhere these days, and they always gets comments. I went to the local chamber of commerce to pick up information on upcoming holiday events, and the lady at the chamber of commerce sneered at my shirt and said, "You know, he doesn't put his hand over his heart when he says the Pledge of Allegiance," whispering like our next president was trying to spread the plague.

I stood there, staring at her. "You know that for sure?" I said. "You've actually been to a place where Obama was saying the Pledge of Allegiance? Wow, I wish I'd been there. I'd have asked for his autograph."

At the freaking chamber of commerce she said this. I thought the chamber spoke for all its citizens, and sorry, gang, that includes me. Where do these people get this stuff?

After that, I made my weekly trek to my town's teeny tiny grocery store, where an older gentlman with a Vietnam Vet cap kept staring at me. Since I try to ignore people who stare at me, I briefly checked to make sure my shirt wasn't unbuttoned, then I went about my business, looking for late-season strawberries that didn't look stricken with mold or other off-season biohazards. At the checkout, that same gentleman tapped me on the shoulder, and he said, "I appreciate your courage. I voted for him too."

Wow. How bad is it when a Vietnam vet tells you that you have courage for wearing a tee-shirt? I hugged him, took off my Obama button and gave him that, my telephone number, and told him if he ever felt alone, he could give me a call.

I am ashamed of my previous silence, and I wish I'd had the balls to stand up to these uninformed people for the past few months, rather than the past few weeks.
I'm here in the Hill Country, deep in the heart of Texas. I am a democrat, and I suspect I'm not alone.