It's worse than stupid

Ok, I admit it.
I laughed (and groaned) when George Bush butchered the language.
(I also laughed when Mr. Rogers buttoned his cardigan wrong.)
There's humor in incongruity.
And I admit that Bush's two wars destroyed the already-microscopic possibility that I'd ever trust his administration.
At least a few people have taken issue with me over this.
That's their right. So, I haven't abused my right when I've responded.
But, I can't say the same for the latest stupidity: Bumper stickers that say "Pray for Obama" and, by citing Psalms 109:8, wish him dead.
On how many levels is this offensive?
Every one that I can think of.
One Christian blogger -- who found no humor in it --  equated the message to that of the 1/20/09 bumper stickers driven around by those who pined for Bush's exit.
But they're far from being the same.
One is the product of thinking people; the other, a product of hatred. We should all be concerned about the latter.
For purposes of this post, I'll narrow my concerns to two.
The first is obvious, but still personal. Since long before Barack Obama seemed like a real contender, I've feared for his life. I've feared for his daughters being fatherless. I've feared for our nation, for what it would say about the hatred, the bigotry, the short-sightedness that his assassination would prove stronger than I'd ever imagined.
At a dinner in January 2008, I asked people at my table if they had a preference in the Democratic primary. One of the women said "I'm kind of for Obama."
I asked about her reluctance, and she said "I'm afraid he'll be killed if he wins."
That thought had never crossed the mind of the woman next to her. Then there was the editor of an upstate New York newspaper who, hearing that story, offered one of his own. He said that the night Obama accepted the nomination he'd left the newsroom late afternoon, telling his staff "You can all go home, but if something happens tonight, you've all got to come back."
They looked at him clueless. These 20somethings who hadn't lived through the King assassination, the Kennedy assassination, or even the attempt on Ronald Reagan's life.
As the campaign progressed, I tensed up and waited for the sound of bullets whenever a TV clip showed Obama being enveloped by supporters. The heady night that convinced everyone the nomination was within his reach comes to mind. After he  spoke, he and Michelle walked down the stage steps and into the crowd.
His vulnerability made me shiver.
The second issue is the source of the hatred toward Obama. In far too many instances, it comes from people who call themselves "Christians" -- a word they use to profess they are one in their devotion to Jesus Christ. But, if you listen, they're also using it to say "We're the GOOD ones."
The irony is lost on them. The real meanings of "good" and "Christian" are even lost on some of their ministers who've talked and prayed openly for Obama's death.
People who have it in themselves to kill can find reasons to pick the president, this president, as a target. So those who fear the bumper sticker will encourage an attempt on Obama's life have reason to think that way.
The fact that so many people -- how many? too many -- can stand tall while publicly espousing the desire for someone to die astonishes me.
Maybe it shouldn't.
But it does.