I'm sure at a few McCain rallies they have done the opposite and made sure there were a handful of minorities and women behind McCain to give the impression that he has a diverse appeal.

Next.

People make stories out of flag pins and Rachel Ray's "Palestinian scarf" , they'll go nuts over a head scarf at secret-Muslim Obama's rally.

How is this different?

McCain screens his crowds ... if you can call 50 people a crowd.

I hope this is a case of overly cautious local campaign workers rather than the national campaign. It's depressing that so many Americans think that being Muslim is a bad thing, that it's even a possibility that it could be the national campaign trying to manage the persistent 'he's a secret Muslim omg!' BS out there.

Play fucking hardball for a change.

Now, the first thing that comes to mind now is that it could be used negatively by the Repugs and Faux news. But could be used in the Arab word to garnish support for Obama if he wins the election. That'd be a great tool to counteract the growth of terrorism in the Arab world.

2. When does that new kind of politics get going?

Here's the thing: in the background of one of these rallies, how is a woman in a head scarf functionally different from a man in an orange safety vest? Both articles of clothing are intended to scream, "LOOK AT ME!"

That head scarves have a religious overtone doesn't make them less distracting, nor make it imperative that Muslim women be allowed to wear them all the time, regardless of venue.

P.S. Remember that old guy who was yawning all through one of Hillary's speeches?

After they arrest you.

(geesh)

Stupid people are allowed to vote. I believe the term for them lately is "undecideds." Seven years of this insanity and they're still UNDECIDED?

Hats... what if the judgement day comes before election day? And Charles Nelson Riley returns on a big flying hat?

Interesting fact: the Biblical passage demanding women cover their hair out of modesty is in the part of the Bible shared by Jews, Christians and Muslims, which means that if wearing such a covering is such a crucial part of being a Muslim it is an equally crucial part of those religions. I know this because when I was a child, my parents belonged to a Christian sect that practiced this and my early memories of my mom were of her wearing a head covering any time she left the house. They afterwards joined a church with a more modern interpretation of the Bible and started dressing like everybody else.

Which brings me to my point: Wearing a head covering or engaging in some other selective practice of choosing which obscure verses of the Sacred Book will govern one's personal conduct (and it's always selective) is not an immutable fact of personal identity like skin color or gender or (arguably) sexual orientation. It is a choice. It is their prerogative to wear headscarves just like it is a candidate's prerogative to tell people what sort of dress is appropriate if they wish to be photographed with the candidate at a campaign event.

The above example of Sikhs choosing not to go places where they are not allowed to wear their daggers is an excellent example of people who understand this: If your religion demands something of you like wearing a weapon at all times, it is your responsibility to make accommodations for this fact and not everybody else's responsibility to make accommodations for you.

America is so screwed. It really is. Your melting pot philosophy, "oh you can believe whatever you want, but when you leave the house try to look like a white christian." It's like people who say gay people flaunt their sexuality by having a partner or refusing to stay closeted.

For some perspective, remember that Obama's opponent likes to sing funny little songs on the campaign trail about bombing Iran. (Hilarious!) There are real, life and death issues at stake here, and real, live Muslims (as well as lots of other folks) stand to lose a lot if this election goes the wrong way. So it seems like a reasonable request to ask people to stand back and let the candidate's staff run his own photo ops. You know, so he actually has a chance of winning.

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