

Some of you out there may be familiar with Peter Milligan’s late Vertigo comic series, Shade, The Changing Man, in which the titular character attempts to contain America’s collective madness. We sure could use him right about now now.

A California man has been charged with a felony hate crime after attacking a gay neighbor with his “Yes on 8” sign – that is, a sign showing his support for Proposition 8, which would overturn gay marriage in the Golden State.

Such violence isn’t new during this increasingly frenetic election season, but this story differs in a significant way: the men have known each other since junior high:

Joseph Storm, 23, got into a scuffle with a 22-year-old man wearing a “No on 8” button early Sunday in Torrance, according to Deputy District Attorney Janet Wilson. Storm and the victim, whose identity has not been released, have known each other since junior high school, she said. During the fight, Storm took the lawn sign and knocked the victim down with it, then punched him in the face and choked him, Wilson said. Storm is also accused of calling the victim a derogatory name for homosexuals.

We can only guess what they name could have been – there are so many!