What did that guy say? Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on . . . won’t get fooled again! Wise words. To be punked once is unfortunate, to be punked TWICE (in one week even!) shows a lack of judgment. That’s me right now. I’m both embarrassed and ashamed for assuming the veracity of a story that was both explosive and almost immediately questionable. I should know better. I am sorry to all of my readers who HAVE been victims of violence in any form. Jumping on the bandwagon like I did, with little regard for the trauma it might revive in the minds and hearts of those who really HAVE BEEN HURT was very unkind and irresponsible and insensitive. I am also sorry to every black man who has been hurt, shamed, and diminished by this unconscionable lie. To fabricate the story of an attack is an assault by a shameless person on the compassion and good faith of everyone. To make up a story like that using the most inflammatory and racist stereotypes in our cultural skeleton closet is beyond the pale. Big scary black man (with very dark skin, natch) attacks small, defenseless, young white woman. Ugh. Who cares about my personal experience, right? But for the record, I have never in ALL MY LIFE met this “big scary black dude” who everyone claims is all over the place. All the black men I’ve ever met have been friendly, funny, indifferent, compassionate, or sad. Maybe I need to get out more, but that’s my reality. It almost makes me want to vote for Barack Obama. Seriously. If only to say that I will never defend the actions of Ashley Todd. She does not speak for me or for any decent person. I’m not going to do it, because my beef with Obama goes way back. Way back before this week to the primaries, the caucuses, the lies, and the fraud. But gosh darn you Ashley Todd, you just made my job a whole lot harder. Go take a very long walk off a very short pier. But before you do, let me thank you for reminding me why I’ve always been wary of College Republicans. Another wise person has said, “If you’re not a Democrat when you’re young then you have no soul. And if you’re not a Republican when you grow up then you have no brain.” Silly? yes. I feel just great about being a Democrat headed into middle age, BUT the first part of that statement is absolutely true. And Ashley Todd is Exhibit A. One Last Parting Dose of Reality Before I Go Catch Up On Email

• Barack Obama is NOT a socialist. I mean come on! A 36% top interest rate = Unfettered Capitalism but a 39% top interest rate = Godless Socialism? Context is everything. Also, why the hell would the employees of all the financial companies have donated more money to Barack Obama than they have to any other candidate in the history of corporate people buying elections if they thought he was a socialist? Why would the current chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank, a former CEO of Goldman Freakin Sachs, have endorsed the guy if he believed he was a socialist?
• Barack Obama is not a terrorist and he is not a Muslim. He is a shameless opportunist who saw that the path of least resistance for his ambitious rise to political power lay through the heart of Chicago. That meant Wright, Ayers, Rezko, Farrakhan, Jackson, and Daley. I find that path troubling. I believe he underestimates the pernicious and aggressive intent of fundamentalist Islam and WOULD make grave errors in his approach to the Middle East. However, that doesn’t make him a Muslim and it doesn’t make him a terrorist. It makes him a Typical Power Grabbing Politician.