Oh come on, it's just a scarf!

Being a mainstream conservative (and a traditionalist Republican), it irks me as to how some people, especially those who endear themselves to the Vocal Fringe Parade, aim to portray even those whose decision to wear a certain article of clothing has nothing to do with anti-American attitude as exactly that - a sympathist to terrorism.

The latest assault from the Vocal Fringe comes in the form of a scarf that celebrity chef and daytime talker Rachael Ray wore in an advertisement for Dunkin' Donuts, the colorful donut chain out of New England. The scarf is black and white in color, and its design is hardly in the form of something a terrorist would wear. After all, it is a fringe scarf, so for the most part you could hardly even tell that it is symbolic of terrorism, as seen here.

But the Vocal Fringe, led by right-wing commentator Michelle Malkin, raised the red flag in her blog, arguing:

The keffiyeh, for the clueless, is the traditional scarf of Arab men that 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.

- Michelle Malkin

The result: Dunkin' Donuts drops the ball and cancels the ads. From what I can tell, entertainment and fashion reporters have scoffed, the general public was up in arms, and even the business community is sounding the alarm.

Ironically enough, Malkin is a DD fanatic who prefers their coffee to Starbucks, as evidenced by the numerous posts relating to the chain (including DD's immigration stance which ironically I support). Unfortunately, for me I cannot make a comparison between the two, for there are no Dunkin' Donuts shops in the Fort Bend area. In her blog, which can be seen here, she even goes as far as mentioning the daughter of John McCain and her use of a similar scarf.

Being a mainstream Republican, it very well disgusts me that a vocal handful of people with a lack of common sense want to bully a well-known food prophetess on the Food Network all for the purpose of scoring brownie points. In reality, all it does is turn off true, mainstream Republicans who believe in the sunny optimism, hope and common sense that icons such as Ronald Reagan and Abraham Lincoln greatly championed.

Republicans should not have to kiss up to religious bigots or fringe bloggers to promote the Party of Lincoln. What got Reagan elected by a landslide in 1984 was his appeal to the average American, who can come from a working-class background and drive a mid-sized car such as a Taurus, hail from an affluent suburb driving a Beamer or Volvo (yes, my great-aunt is living proof of a Volvo-driving conservative), or come from the country with a Ford F-150 with all the trimmings. Trust me, you just have to find them.