Dear me. A bridge player had the audacity to hold up a sign that said "We did not vote for Bush." Instantly, she's a traitor! And I thought playing the traitor card was only a God-given right to the wingnuts in radio and blogoland. I guess not! Beware all ye merry Americans in all professions throughout the land. The 24%ers are everywhere!

In the genteel world of bridge, disputes are usually handled quietly and rarely involve issues of national policy. But in a fight reminiscent of the brouhaha over an anti-Bush statement by Natalie Maines of the Dixie Chicks in 2003, a team of women who represented the United States at the world bridge championships in Shanghai last month is facing sanctions, including a yearlong ban from competition, for a spur-of-the-moment protest.

At issue is a crudely lettered sign, scribbled on the back of a menu, that was held up at an awards dinner and read, “We did not vote for Bush.” By e-mail, angry bridge players have accused the women of “treason” and “sedition.”