Right Wing World: The Latest Faux Outrage is "Umbrella-gate"

At least with a trio of potential scandals, Right Wing World actually had something to squawk about last week. Sure, the big Benghazi memo turned out to be bogus. The IRS thing may end up causing the tea party more damage than if it were left alone. The AP thing. . .well, who knows. But a jump to a new scandal, one about a marine holding an umbrella for the President? Well, this one is just stupid, and smacks of racism.

Freeze frame from Washington Post video.

In fact, if one does a cursory Google image search, one will find several other images like this one. Images of past presidents--Republicans, notably--in nearly identical poses. Apparently, it is something of a traditional thing for the military to do for the president. The only difference I can see in this incident from those of George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush and Ronald Reagan is. . .well. . .the color of the guy behind the podium. I know that alleging racism has become identical to racism in Right Wing World. But that is no more true than their commentary about this phony outrage. And this is not without precedent.

One that keeps coming around like a perennial flower is an image of President Barack Obama with his feet propped up on his desk. This was also a case where a simple image search would find examples of other presidents doing the same thing. But it doesn't matter. For some reason, it spreads like wildfire on the internet every few months, usually accompanied by right-wing commentary accusing the President of being arrogant, king-like, haughty, classless, anti-American, and everything right up to the line of "uppity." This is naked racism, nothing else.

And now for a blast from the past, the feet on the desk shots. . .

The Kissing Marines Speak! (Video)

Image from Miami Herald

Surely, by now you've seen the photo of the kissing Marines, one of them returning from Afghanistan, to his boyfriend in Hawaii. There are some notable things about the picture: 1) the returning Marine was climbing his boyfriend (who is very tall); 2) to gays, the photo is romantic and/or hot; 3) to some straights, the photo is icky, gross, yucky, sick, revolting, disgusting, and the two men are going to hell; and 4) if it were a photo of a straight couple, we'd never have seen or heard of it.

The reality is, while the photo is destined to become iconic, it would hardly be newsworthy if it weren't two men, right after the lifting of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." And, while there are some frothing at the mouth homophobes declaring it to the most vile image ever lensed, and a sign of the end times, I think they're going a bit overboard, don't you? "It's a violation, he's in uniform!" they declare, ignoring the fact that the rule is regularly waived for returning troops.  "God says. . ." NO, stop right there. Your religion does not rule the land.

Anyway, this photo did get some nasty--and shouldn't that be telling?--comments, but also a huge amount of gushing praise. I'd say on the whole, it will be remembered along with the abolition of DOMA, of this moment in history. And the two men--who say they had no idea this would take off this way--seem like great guys. Haters are going to hate, but they're not the ones who will be remembered here.

U.S. Marine Arrested With Weapons In Luggage At Boston Airport

Yipes!