Another Open Letter to All Stupid People in the Universe

I just noticed today that somebody keyed my Obama bumper sticker.

At first I thought the sticker was just falling apart from exposure to weather. But then I got closer and realized, no, there are gouges only through his name. You can still read his name, but there are gouges in my bumper where his name is on the sticker.

It could have happened a while ago - I don't have a lot of occasion to look at the back end of my car, normally I just get in the driver's seat and go. But I have a feeling that it was done more recently, like since the town hall meetings this summer. Heck, it could have happened while I was AT the town hall meeting this summer. . .

And, unfortunately, it could have happened anywhere. There's a lot of open hostility toward Obama in these parts - my car would have been a target in just about anyplace I would have parked.

Here's what I never undertand: WHY?

I mean, you don't like Obama, fine. You don't agree with his politics, or with mine - fine. You can disagree with me, disagree with him, until the cows come home. We can debate in public or in private until we're both blue in the face. You can put signs and stickers all over your own self and your own property until every inch is covered. You can write letters to the government and to the editor, you can demonstrate in the streets, you can buy time on public airwaves to tell everyone what you think. You have the right to do such things, in fact, I encourage you to do all of these things, and I will defend your rights, nonviolently, to the point of my own death.

But you do not have the right to harm me, disrespect me, or destroy my property because of such disagreement. You do not have the right to tear down my signs and stickers because you don't like who I support. You do not have the right to shut me down just because you don't like how I think or what I have to say. The First Amendment protects both of us, equally. Capisce?

Lucky for you, when I get mad, I don't get even - I get better. When morons like you stole our yard signs in 2004, I spent Wellstone World Music Day putting up twice as many signs, and they were twice as big as the ones that were taken. When I was phone banking or canvassing last year and people were unnecessarily rude to me - I'd sign up for an extra shift. The more idiots like you try to tear the world down, the harder I work to rebuild it.

So I hope keying my car accomplished whatever it was you were personally trying to accomplish, I hope whatever satisfaction you derived from the act was worth the progressive fury you're about to unleash on the world. Because I was just writing to my own Senators and Representative about this health care and environmental stuff, but now I think I'm going to write to everybody representing Pennsylvania, and I think I'll throw in a letter of encouragement to the President while I'm at it. . .