Civil Liberties

Any instance of not showing public support of President Obama for fear of what some crazed RW type might do just gives them power they do not have or deserve.

On another thread I mentioned an instance of my wife being harassed in a McDonald's drive-thru because of the Obama bumper sticker on her car. She was unsettled by the experience, being far less experienced with confrontation (and confrontational arseholes) than I am. Had I been with her, the RW nuts would have found themselves having a markedly different reaction with the target of their foolish abuse...if they would have had the guts to even do it.

I am SO damn tired of the mindset that says LIBERALS (and I claim the term without reservation) have had to squirm over the appellation, ever since Rush Limbaugh turned it into an insult. Even here on DU, I often see the rebranding of "progressive." I don't have any trouble with that term, but the disuse of "liberal" lets Limbaugh and his ilk win.

Personally, I can handle a weapon as well as any RW NRA zealot. I've been doing so ever since winning marksmanship badges (ironically issued by the NRA!) as a Boy Scout in the '70s.