I am a part-time photographer that will occasionally pick up some extra money shooting graduations for a local company. Today's shoot was at the Meydenbauer Center in Bellevue, Washington.
I was amused to see a car in the garage with the license plate "FREEPER", but really didn't think too much about it (other than a keying fantasy, of course)....
I walked in and was stunned, and revolted, to find that the graduation was sharing the venue with the GOP Convention today. I mean, there I was, SURROUNDED BY THEM!!! All sorts of bumperstickers, posters and t-shirts proclaiming their wingnut status...
Well, I was there as a representative of another company, so I couldn't just go ballistic and take a steaming shit on Mike Seigal's table (local talk radio wingnut) as I am usually inclined to do.
So I thought I would do an informal visual study.
Now I can't vouch for their relative christianity, but let me tell you... Howard Dean MUST have been talking about this group. There was not ONE person of color in the ENTIRE room. I mean, spent AN HOUR looking. In every hallway, meeting room, signup line, smokers area, booth.... Not ONE. The darkests ones there were an east Indian couple. That's IT.
God it was tempting to act out. I was surrounded by them ALL day.
But I behaved, pulled out my "Count me Blue" bracelet so it showed... and muttered under my breath a lot about "freaks" and "fucktards". When asked to sign a million wingnut petitions, I just smiled patronizingly and didn't say anything.
When I was leaving I also got a few looks at my "Obama / Earle '08" bumpersticker... If at least one of them is up tonight worrying about the unknown running mate of Barack Obama, I've done my job.
Now I have to go shower, twice.
Frank