"Hundreds" of reports of racial incidents since the election

This is a really disturbing article from the Associated Press. The Southern Poverty Law Center is one of the leading authorities on racism, hate crimes and hate groups in the United States. And, the racists are riled up:

Crosses burning. Children chanting, "Assassinate Obama." Racial epithets scrawled on homes and cars.

Reports of incidents such as those across the country are dampening the glow of racial progress and harmony that bloomed after the election of Democrat Barack Obama, an African American, to the presidency.

From California to Maine, police have documented a range of incidents, including vandalism, threats and at least one physical attack. There have been "hundreds" of incidents since the election, many more than usual, said Mark Potok, director of the Intelligence Project at the Southern Poverty Law Center, which monitors hate crimes.

One of the incidents identified by the AP caught my attention because it happened in Maine:

• In Standish, Maine, a sign in the Oak Hill General Store said, "Osama Obama Shotgun Pool." Customers could sign up to bet $1 on a date when Obama would be killed. "Stabbing, shooting, roadside bombs, they all count," the sign said.

According to a Maine news station, that "pool" was reported to the Secret Service -- as it should be. One thing the racist crowd doesn't seem to understand is that Obama is now the president-elect. They're hatemongering has always been wrong, decidedly un-Christian and sometimes illegal. But, when it comes to threats against the president or president-elect, there are no jokes and no free speech. It's a federal crime.