But this shy, genial woman, dressed as usual in a frumpy skirt, mud boots and bandana, seems committed to reminding voters that the real divide in American politics isn't Left vs. Those who've come to hear her, on this recent Sunday, run the ideological gamut from bespectacled former union organizers to stooped, demure local janitors. We want shy people in this militia. We want you to show up when we confront politicians, and to bring your grave silence along with you.
Grave silence is far more powerful than the same old voices yapping away.
The men nod and stare back at her, suddenly graver and silenter than ever. And it attracts the Mainers she really wants. Up here, the disenfranchised are generally the people with guns. Chute puts it another way. People around here have guns, both for hunting and to protect themselves.