Not So Proud

Apparently, threats against the life of new president-elects generally spike after any election. But this year it seems that officials are seeing more threats against Barack Obama than ever before.

The Secret Service wouldn't comment nor provide the number of occurrences they might be investigating.

They did say, though, that since the election, law enforcement officials have seen more potentially threatening writings, Internet postings and other activity directed toward Obama than has been seen with anyone.

So admitted anonymous officials aware of the goings on. Only on condition of anonymity, of course, because of security concerns.

A couple of instances that I found particularly not so much disturbing as embarrassing, being a member still of the human race and an American to boot.

In Maine, a reporter spotted a sign in a convenience store inviting customers to sign up for wagering on when Barack Obama might be assassinated, the "Osama Obama Shotgun Pool." The sign solicited $1 bets and that the kitty would go to the betting pool's winner who picked the date closest to whenever Obama would finally be offed. "Let's hope we have a winner," it said.

Earlier this week also, the Secret Service was checking into another case, where a sign was posted to a tree somewhere in Idaho with Obama's name and offering up a "free public hanging."

Like I said, mostly this isn't so scary to me as contemptibly shameful as both a human being and as an American. Okay, contemptibly shameful is probably redundant, but that's fine. Drives home the point of just how vulgar and heinous what is going on amongst the lunatic fringe.

Do you think if McCain had won out that, despite being disgruntled, anyone might be asking for tossing in eight bits wishing to score the whole pot, betting on when some grudge-holding old gook might finally shoot him down again, this time for good? Hardly.

Much less even can I imagine anyone advertising to provide a free lynching for such an American hero as John McCain. The hero title, I personally do find an arguable designation, actually, but still either way. It just would never happen.

Totally bears out so much existing racism still, all the unprecedented number of death threats against Obama, there's no question about that in my opinion. You know these are white folks in mostly white communities. They wouldn't have the balls to tout such bullshit in certain other parts of town.

Absolutely possible, I know, if McCain was the center of attention right now some pissed off crazy black dude might take him out. Doubt if they'd be, though, posting signage in the 'hood for the homies to pony up for a chance to win all the marbles on when the old white guy might get wasted.

Again, this kind of crap makes me embarrassed to be human, embarrassed to be American, and mostly embarrassed to be white.