A doughnut? No thanks

What is wrong with this country?
I’m not talking about the major concerns, such as a goofus president;
the war in Iraq; our soldiers being maimed and killed; an economy in
which you can’t afford to drive a car, heat your home, buy food or
take even a mini vacation; a nonexistent job market; global warming; or
legitimate fears of terrorism.
No, I’m referring to people who are so horrified about extremists in
other countries that they have become extremists themselves.
They can sniff out a dangerous conspiracy in any place imaginable.
They know when secret messages are being sent that will destroy our
country.
In other words, they protest and threaten boycotts against companies
like Dunkin’ Donuts because Rachael Ray is wearing a scarf in an ad.
But it’s not just any scarf, you see.
It’s a scarf that most definitely is broadcasting symbolic support
for Muslim extremism and terrorism.
Honest. These people wouldn’t just dream this up, would they?
Well, not without the help of the likes of conservative commentator
Michelle Malkin.
Yes, she has the inside track. She is absolutely sure that the scarf
is a ringer for the black-and-white checkered kaffiyeh, the traditional
Palestinian scarf.
And those who took her side began criticizing Dunkin’ Donuts,
demanding the ad’s removal and threatening to bypass the doughnut shop
because, they say, the scarves symbolize Muslim extremism and terrorism.
Why do they think this? Because you have to believe everything Malkin
says, right?
The kaffiyeh, Malkin wrote in an online column, “has come to
symbolize murderous Palestinian jihad. Popularized by Yasser Arafat and a
regular adornment of Muslim terrorists appearing in beheading and
hostage-taking videos, the apparel has been mainstreamed by both ignorant (and
not-so-ignorant) fashion designers, celebrities and left-wing icons.”
Yes, apparently Dunkin’ Donuts and Rachael Ray were intent on sending
this message of support. Wow, you never know what this chef will cook
up, do you?
In actuality, the scarf has a paisley design and was simply chosen by a
fashion stylist for the photo.
That’s it. No deep subliminal message; no nefarious nod to terrorism.
But some people just can’t be convinced.
So, believe it or not, Dunkin’ Donuts caved and stopped running the
online advertisement for iced coffee.
That, of course, was quite the ego boost for Malkin, who then wrote in
a follow-up column:
“It’s refreshing to see an American company show sensitivity to the
concerns of Americans opposed to Islamic jihad and its apologists.”
Refreshing? Not quite the word I would use.
Mind-boggling? Wait, I guess that’s two words, even though it’s
hyphenated.
Stupid? Frightening? Ridiculous? Unnecessary?
Take your pick. Any of them could also describe this whole tempest in a
teapot.
But I suppose economics won out for the company, which didn’t want to
risk losing what it must see as a major portion of its customers.
I find that hard to believe, but I also find it hard to believe that
someone would ever have looked at that ad and found symbolic support of
terrorism.
How about looking at some of the true issues of the day — of the
photos of our soldiers, of the hungry people in this country, of the
unemployed, of our environmental woes, of our veterans who are forgotten
after they’ve sacrificed so much for this country?
But to fixate on a scarf in an iced-coffee ad?
And then for Dunkin’ Donuts to dignify the accusations with any kind
of response, much less give in to this insanity — well, my true
response is not one to print in a family newspaper.
Let’s just say I won’t be buying any doughnuts anytime soon.