Pro-war/anti-war yard signs...

[Jeebo]

This is SO a-year-and-a-half-ago that perhaps I shouldn't post it. And I think I know the answer anyway. But it has been bothering me ever since the run-up to the war, and I think the answer has a lot to do with illustrating some of the more profound differences between conservatives and liberals, and those differences are just as relevant today as they were a year and a half ago.

During the run-up to the invasion, conquest and occupation of Iraq, there were LOTS of yard signs all around where I live. And most of them, I would estimate at least 60 percent, were ANTI-war. (I am assuming, of course, that the "Support Our Troops" signs were PRO-war, even though some people were putting up "Peace Is Patriotic" signs next to their "We Support Our Troops" signs, and some of them were hand-writing "But Oppose the War" underneath or in the margins.)

HOWEVER, those were the yards of private residences. Many BUSINESSES also had yard signs, and ALL of them were PRO-war signs, and NONE of them were "Peace Is Patriotic" signs.

Not only that, but many stores also were selling merchandise that related to the war in some way, and ALL of that merchandise bore PRO-war slogans. There were lots of "We Support Our Troops" T-shirts and mouse pads and coffee mugs, but NOT ONE bearing the "Peace Is Patriotic" message.

I wanted to ask some of those businesses about this. I wanted to point out to them, "Haven't you noticed that the majority of the yard signs around here OPPOSE the war? So why haven't you put up a 'Peace Is Patriotic' sign? That principle is in no way at odds with the principle of supporting our troops, so you could put up one of those alongside your 'We Support Our Troops' sign. And it's fine that you are selling merchandise here with 'We Support Our Troops' and American flag logos on them, but where is the merchandise with the 'Peace Is Patriotic' slogan on it? Why are you catering to the MINORITY of your customers in this area, judging from the yard signs, and IGNORING the majority?"

It is clear to me that we liberals and Democrats are a discriminated-against majority. (No, that's not a typo; we ARE the majority in this country. Read the chapter titled "A Liberal Paradise" in Michael Moore's book "Dude, Where's My Country?")

Ron

[Fescue4u]

1. I don't believe that "support our troops" is prowar

While Im sure that prowar folks put those signs up, the message itself is actually quite neutral to war, and positive to our folks.

[SheBop]

4. Absolutely! (eom)

[eyesroll]

2. I've seen, over the last couple of years, yard signs that say:

WE SUPPORT PRESIDENT BUSH!
and our troops

This wouldn't be a big deal -- "we support our troops" and "peace is patriotic" also have been spotted -- except most communities (mine included) has a 30 or 45-day-out yard-sign rule -- no candidate signs more than 45 days before the election. Isn't a huge "we support president Bush" a candidate sign?

[SheBop]

3. Right

Business = pro-war and Business = 'corporate'

...'liberals and democrats are a discriminated-against majority.' just as women are

:hi:

:kick:

[SheilaT]

5. My guess is that

"We support our troops" is either pro- or anti-war depending on who has put it up. Because most people really do support the troops, just not necessarily the war.

We had various anti-war signs in our yard that were occasionally vandalized or stolen. We'd simply replace them. On two different occasions, someone put up homemade signs in our yard in what I take as a weird attempt to start a dialog. The signs said such things as "Eat a croissant, hippie" and "Hug a tree". We found them highly amusing and left them up for several days before taking them down.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

6. my house banner: "NO MORE IRAQI CHILDREN IN OUR GAS TANKS!"