Brief Confrontation With Ignorance and Bigotry

Last night I had to run up to our local drugstore (in the same strip center as the grocery that I mentioned a few days ago). While walking back to my car, two teenage (?) girls (old enough to drive...) stopped and pointed at my Obama bumper sticker as one called out "I like your bumper stick." So far so good, right? Well, at the same time, an elderly gentleman was getting out of his car (a Lincoln or Cadillac) and, when the girls called out to me, he looked over. He then said, "You man's a Muslim and a socialist."

Now, I was tired and not in a very good mood (the Colts were destroyed and the kids were ... um, how to put this politely ... being difficult), plus I needed to get home. So I didn't take the time to engage him in a susbstantive discussion and I'm not sure that my response was exactly on point. But, based on his facial expression, I think that I made an impact: "No, sir," I said. "My man's an American and you sir, when you cash your social security check, you sir are a socialist." Then I got in my car and drove home.