Putting the shoe on the other foot

Letter to the editor, Seattle Times, March 27:

Putting the shoe on the other foot

It’s the day after the invasion of Iraq. A mob of African-American protesters gathers outside of the entrance to the White House, screaming imprecations and waving American flags. Several hold signs accusing President George W. Bush of sending young black men to die for a family vendetta. A group of white Bush aides nervously makes its way through the crowd, hearing racial slurs and shouts of “killer” and “murderer.”

Democratic Party representatives and senators exhort the crowd into a greater frenzy.

Two Republican congressmen who support the war report that unknown people have hurled bricks through windows of their home offices. One receives death threats made against her and her family, including use of the word “assassinate.”

An anti-war leader releases the home address of a pro-war representative.

Someone cuts a propane line leading to the house, creating the danger of a massive explosion. Police reveal that the house is actually the family home of the brother of the representative. When contacted, the activist who supplied the address calls the episode “collateral damage.”

Does it take much to imagine the reaction of Republican politicians and the conservative media had any of this actually happened? Does it even require your imagination?

— Paul Goode, Redmond