Remember, kids: It is dangerous and irresponsible to compare a person who likes to spend their weekends dressing up like a Nazi to... a Nazi.
An election year already notable for its menagerie of extreme and unusual candidates can add another one: Rich Iott, the Republican nominee for Congress from Ohio's 9th District, and a Tea Party favorite, who for years donned a German Waffen SS uniform and participated in Nazi re-enactments.
You know, that is pretty notable, isn't it? I'm not particularly shocked to find out that a Teabagger Republican is, well, eccentric. But I'm a little surprised to find out that these Super-Patriots like to dress up and play the enemy. Yeah, yeah, I know. Maybe that's not really a stretch, either. But seriously, given how intent they are on insisting that they're more patriotic than any of the other kids on the block, wouldn't you think they'd be the kind of playmates who'd always insist on being the U.S., and threaten to quit and go home if they didn't get their way?
(Hey, do you think Christine O'Donnell would think it was OK to lie to Iott if he was in uniform? Just wondering.)
Anyway, I just think it's worth noting that it turns out that when they think nobody's watching, some Teabaggers like to take off their American flag lapel pins and swap them for an SS Death's Head. Who would've guessed?
Now, do I think that everyone who's interested in World War II historical reenactment and just happens to make the conscious decision to particiapte in it by buying themselves a full Nazi SS officer outfit is actually a Nazi sympathizer? No.
Do I think that reenacting Nazi-era German military history as a hobby is a little bit creepy? Well, you have me there! Ha ha! Guilty as charged!
Although I can appreciate the need for German players if you're going to have a battle reenactment, well, I just wouldn't want to have my patriotism questioned by somebody whose hobbies required, let's say, a more liberal and open mindset in order to separate the historical interest from the symbolism. And let's face it, being a Teabagger-endorsed Republican pretty much means you're going to be all about questioning everyone else's patriotism.
That's going to be hard to do from inside a Nazi SS officer's uniform, is what I'm saying.
And I might not be alone in thinking so. Seems Iott's been scrubbed from the Republicans' "Young Guns" web site.
Now, I happen to think they should keep him on there. Purely for the historical interest, of course.