Bumper Sticker Politics (7/8/03)
by Dean Hartwell
A recent Federal Communications Commission regulation allows single companies to own greater shares of media markets. Because of that, we may need to look to new forms of media to get true, independent expressions about the world of politics.
The bumper sticker remains one sure way an average person can send a message to others. Except for the nominal fee to buy it, one can carry a message free of commercials or other charges. As far as regulation of the message itself goes, courts have rarely intervened to declare bumper stickers outside the boundaries of the First Amendment.
Some particular stickers have caught my attention because of their poignancy and their ability to get to the heart of the issue to which they speak. Here are my top ten favorite ones:
“I prefer someone who burns the flag and then wraps themselves up in the Constitution over someone who burns the Constitution and then wraps themselves up in the flag” – Molly Ivins
Correctly
surmises the choice on the issue of flag desecration as
between protecting our flag and protecting our
Constitution.
Don’t Blame
Me – I Voted With the Majority
About the 2000 Presidential Election, the first election
in 112 years in which the popular vote winner failed to win
the Electoral College. That is, if you believe the results from Florida.
What is so Intelligent about the CIA?
Refers
to the end of the Cold War and the failure of the
Central Intelligence Agency to predict it.
I Love My Country but Fear My Government
Came
out around the same time as the one above, when a former
CIA director, the first President Bush, resided at the
White House.
Bush: It Takes a Pillage
A
warning to George W. Bush of the consequences of
invasion to the people of Iraq.
Why Do We Kill People to Show People Who Kill People That Killing People Is Wrong?
I
have yet to hear a credible response to this question.
You Can’t Shred the Constitution
A
statement about Oliver North and his shredding of key
documents in the Iran-Contra Scandal.
If You Can’t Trust Me with a Choice, How Can You Trust Me with a Child?
Sometimes
the best political appeal is to logic.
The Moral Majority is Neither
Unfortunately,
though this Jerry Falwell organization exists no more,
its leader still makes appearances on television about
politics and morality.
My Karma Just Ran over Your Dogma
Clever
play on words about religion and the need for tolerance.
As Long as There are Exams, There Will Always be Prayer in Public Schools
And
a moment of silence for the teachers who have to grade
them!
People who view these stickers may not change their minds over them, but they will likely remember the issue and the viewpoint expressed. Bumper stickers provide all of us a free, easy way to remind people of what we value most.
(Editor's Note: Melissa Hartwell came up with this gem: U.S. out of My Uterus; Susan Strouss submitted one of her favorites: When Clinton Lied, Nobody Died)