The T-Shirt Diaries (Part 1)

June 10, 2005
I’m in Las Vegas as I write this. My wife and I are taking a long weekend for a little overdue rest, relaxation and entertainment. We flew to Los Angeles and rented a car. As we drove across the Mojave we pulled over in a rest area. I was reading a bulletin board about desert safety and desert tortoises when a woman walked by and told me “That’s a horrible shirt!”

You might be wondering what my shirt said. Well, it’s of my own design and it says “Che is Dead. Get over it!” (pictured above). I took a look at the woman and could tell she’s a granola eating “fellow traveler”. I told her that what was horrible was the murders that Che Guevara committed in his lifetime and how people idolize him.

My wife who had stepped out of the restroom just in time to catch the beginning of the conversation, quickly stepped in and held her own as we briefly “debated” this woman. I was very proud of her because my wife is not political at all.

This crunchy woman (my buddy Carlos calls these hippie types crunchy because of the granola they eat) was angry and upset about the CIA’s role in Guevara’s death. I explained to her that he was a foreigner in Bolivia trying to foment a revolution and he got what he deserved. I said that Guevara had been confirmed to have killed at least 159 Cubans and he’s idolized for it. Like a typical leftist she quickly changed the subject. “Bush is idolized and he’s killed thousands,” she said. With that she turned and walked into the ladies room. I thought the whole episode was quite comical. I’m sure it won’t be the last time my T-shirt starts a discussion. By the way if you’d like to have this conversation starter of a T-shirt you get one here.