Our Voice Now

Yes, that is what I said. And what do I have to back this up? Well, the reason I haven’t posted recently is because I’ve been putting in 10-12 hour days at my local Obama office and, as the election gets closer, that time is increasing. Generally, things have been calm in my area (which is being viewed as THE deciding area for Pennsylvania) until this past week.

The other day I was driving to the office, I have three Obama bumper stickers on my car, and the next thing I know some woman in an SUV is on my tail at a red light beeping her horn and giving me the finger and cursing me out for supporting Obama. Now, I realize both parties have extremists on both sides yet it does seem to be the McCain supporters who seem to be the ones reacting like a cornered animal. But okay, I was willing to write it off as she was having a bad day and that just set her off.

Until tonight. We were working late and I ran out to get coffee for a few of us. When I came back around 10pm, a car pulls up in the parking lot beside me with four 20-somethings - two guys in the front and two girls in the back. The guys start yelling stuff to me and I was merely ignoring them then I saw our security guard (yes, the campaign has had to get a security guard for our office) came to the door and one of the girls said, “Let’s just go.” They then sped off. We also had another guy come in to the office yelling about how a black man has no right to even think of running a white country - hmmm, last time I checked it was the Native Americans who were actually here first and the white men stole the country from them. And I’m in a Northern State for heaven’s sake! Though Murtha was right, Central and Western PA is extremely racist - no one can deny that.

I have, as a result, chosen to remove my bumper stickers not because I don’t want people yelling at me but because for the last week whenever I go out to my car in a parking lot I have to check to make sure that no one punctured the tires or worse. And with the election getting closer it’s only going to get worse. Our office is such that I have to say that more than once the thought has crossed my mind of how easy it would be for someone to just drive by and shoot it up. Not a happy thought when I’m there feeling like a sitting duck.

Then there’s the story of the McCain volunteer in Pittsburgh who, earlier this week, claimed a black man attacked her at an ATM machine when he became enraged by her McCain bumper sticker. Funny thing was she didn’t want to go to the hospital - told the police she’d go another day. And as her story sounded less and less believable sure enough, today she confessed she lied about it and carved the letter “B” on her own cheek. Is this really how desperate the McCain people have become? McCain himself stated that no one has to fear anything if Obama is elected. But that damage has been done. The “Pitbull with Lipstick” (gee, isn’t a female dog also known by another name??) Palin did what she set out to do - divide this nation even more by encouraging racism and hate and yes, domestic terrorism by scaring their supporters with lies about Obama once more.

For a party that claimed to be disgusted by the fact that Iraqis had to worry about being killed for voting and being terrorized if they didn’t vote for the right person, they certainly seem to be doing the exact same thing to Obama supporters here. I guess it’s just more of the ‘do as we say not as we do’ mentality that the Republicans have embraced of late.

To any fellow Obama supporters, please, don’t be afraid but don’t be stupid. Keep an eye out at all times and leave the office in pairs. To the McCain supporters - this is a free country and we are allowed freedom of speech and expression - even if it isn’t the same opinion you have.

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