The story of T.L. Mikesells’ unwanted gift made me chuckle. Apparently the giver missed the November elections, in which voters rejected the policies of George W. Bush, the worst president to ever occupy the White House.

I’m no shrink, but I think anyone who calls you a “big fat dumbass” and then wishes you a Merry Christmas and says “God bless you” has problems beyond their political beliefs. Maybe that’s why this person became a foot soldier for a trash-talking mouthpiece like Ann Coulter.

It’s probably not mental illness, but I wish it were that simple. Why someone would line up behind the likes of Coulter, Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh or Fox News is perplexing, although there’s a sucker born every minute.

Right-wing thinking is exactly what’s wrong with this country. The homogeneous, homophobic, “God is on our side” rhetoric is similar to that of Islamic radicals and fascists worldwide. It would be comical if it weren’t so demeaning and dangerous to citizens who don’t fit their watered-down version of what America should be.

I’ve heard liberalism is a mental illness. I think social conservatism is a sickness of the heart that blinds people from the reality of being human.

To the gift giver I offer this: Say and think what you want but allow others the same. And if you get to meet your hero, Ann Coulter, don’t stand too close.

I’ve got a feeling that between Kansas and Oz there’s a farmhouse looking for her.

Michael Johnson, Windham