Thanks to a reader for forwarding this op-ed by Paul Ibbetson, former Chief of Police of Cherryvale, Kansas, regarding bumper stickers and the people who wear them (embedded links added by me):
First, remove all past Election Day stickers. Nothing says “denial” more than an old, crinkled, half-biodegraded “John Kerry 2004” bumper sticker. We have all seen the equivalent before, even on the most beautiful of vehicles, and we have all done the same thing: grunt with displeasure, shake our heads in sadness and die a little inside. Remember, you may be in a wreck while on the road, and removing an ancient, long-dead political sticker might help you avoid unnecessary dementia testing while at the hospital. The potential upsides are just too many to ignore.Second, one political sticker on your car states your case; twenty stickers says you’re imbalanced. Also, the nature of your sticker says more about you, the vehicle owner, than your political affiliation. As a former police officer who made hundreds of car stops, I’ve seen that bumper stickers often say a lot about the character of the individual behind the wheel. Just like bumper stickers that say, “I love weed,” and “Got Magic Mushrooms?” might not enhance the quality of an interaction with the police, overly vulgar, aggressive and stupid political stickers say something about you. Remember, your mom might have to borrow that car.Lastly, political bumper stickers have a lifespan that ends on election night: win, lose or draw. This can be hard to swallow for those that have a bumper sticker of a winning candidate now being displayed in all its post-election glory.
Sound advice, which obviously is being completely ignored by a large percentage of the population.
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