I consider Huntsville a bastion of culture and sensibility in the midst of the republic of redneckism that is my sometimes sweet, sometimes sour home of Alabama. I think of Huntsville this way because it’s true. We’re the home of NASA, after all. We put people in space. We have the highest average IQ of any city in the state. We have the most diverse population. Despite all this, I am often reminded that there are some idiotic rednecks still running around the “Rocket City.” Last week I had the chance to catch shock-rocker Alice Cooper in concert. Towards the end of the performance, Alice had a zombie Hillary and a zombie Trump come out on the stage and pretend to fight, while Alice sang “Elected.” Then some idiot drunken lout, who obviously hated Hillary, threw a full can of beer and hit “Hillary” in the face. I was worried at the time that the actress in the mask might have been injured. Turned out I was right to be concerned.
The actress in this case was none other than Mrs. Alice Cooper, Sheryl Cooper, and she WAS injured! She was left with a black, swollen eye, all because some simpleminded Trump supporter—is there any other kind?—wanted to display his political opinions by hurling an object at a performer in a mask, a person who has nothing whatsoever to do with Hillary. This lummox may have been so drunk that he thought the zombie on stage WAS Hillary, but that’s no excuse. Ms. Cooper may be the one who got hit, but it was Huntsville, Alabama that was left with the real black eye.
