Before the New Yorker magazine painted Sen. Barack Hussein Obama in Muslim garb and his wife as a terrorist this week – its parody of "extremist" attitudes toward the Obamas – we had it right here in our midst.
A sign in Placerville reads:
If it quacks like a duck
Saddam Hussein
Barack H Obama
Osama bin Laden
The man behind the sign is the former mayor of Placerville. The sign hovers above his chiropractic business, a storefront on Placerville Drive off Highway 50.
Trent Saxton is a supporter of Sen. John McCain, Obama's Republican opponent in November's presidential election.
Saxton said he wanted to make people think – to focus on the Arabic element of Obama's name – because he believes the Democratic presidential nominee has been given a pass by a PC-driven media and public.
So over the Fourth of July weekend, right above his office on Placerville Drive, Saxton placed Obama's name between that of the man suspected of plotting the Sept. 11 attacks – and that of the former dictator of Iraq.
"When you drive by at 35 mph or 40 mph, you have the right to decide whether you want to trust. Whether (Obama's) name or the others associated with the Arab nation can be trusted," Saxton said.
"I think you need to think about that."
Saxton is emphatic and insulted by liberals who challenge his First Amendment rights to express his beliefs via his marquee.
"Some of us are educated as much as Democrats like to think they are," said the 58-year-old. He added that he is selling his business so he can retire.
Just not quietly.
"I haven't said anything outlandish about Obama. I haven't threatened him. I haven't said he is Muslim," Saxton said.
"But if you compare the names, they are all Arabic. And I'm simply saying that if it looks like a duck and walks like a duck, chances are it's a duck."
Though Obama is Christian, his name and Kenyan roots repeatedly have required him to deny he is Muslim.
His supporters are particularly sensitive about Hussein, his middle name. There is a palpable fear among Obama people that his background – not his own upbringing but his family tree – will cost him November's election and set race relations back years in this country.
"I'm not confident of victory," said Jeanne Appell, an Obama supporter and nurse who works in Placerville and objected strongly to Saxton's sign.
"There are plenty of Jewish people who are scared of Obama's 'Muslim ties.' What Muslim ties? People are so fear-driven now, so driven by prejudice."
Fear does overwhelm our politics today – and dampens our sense of humor. The New Yorker satire fell flat and is drawing heat on that bastion of liberal publishing – from Obama's campaign and well beyond – because satire is too edgy for a country afraid to laugh or even get the joke.
So, in a juicy irony, the New Yorker is getting trashed for lampooning guys like Saxton – while Saxton's sign barely draws a ripple in Placerville.
That's right. Some of Saxton's neighbors said they hadn't even noticed his sign; others rolled their eyes at a guy known as a town crank.
Maybe that is the best defense against extreme ideas?
You support his First Amendment rights, while barely noticing when he acts the fool.
God bless America.
Reach Marcos Bretón at (916) 321-1096.
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