And now for something brief and frivolous. . .

I hate bumper stickers. If you want to brag that your kid is an honor student, fine, though don't expect me to really care. If you want to put some insulting, pseudo-funny one liner on your car, go for it. You'll come off like a shmuck, but hey, that's your business. The sports you love, the country you're from, some reference to your profession, be my guest. But political and missionizing bumper stickers really shouldn't exist. Granted, the ones that piss me off are the ones I disagree with, but I'm fair enough to say that even the stickers I like shouldn't be on cars. This is not a question of freedom of speech. I firmly believe that people should be able to shout their opinions from soap boxes, blogs, and letters to the editor, even if they happen to be offensive or wrong. But the problem with bumper stickers is that, unlike the above-mentioned venues, they provide no opportunity for a dissenting response, no opening for discussion. I could honk my horn at you perhaps, or key your car in the parking lot, but that's not really appropriate nor does it actually count as legitimate debate. The political or prosletyzing bumper sticker isn't just supporting your cause, it's a slap in the face to any driver behind you who disagrees. You're saying, "you have to care about my opinion, but I don't have to care about yours." Moreover, it's cowardly; you remain in complete anonymity, giving no one a chance to confront you about your opinions (yes, I use a pseudonym for this blog, but you still have access to me through email and the comments setting on this blog). And really, whose mind do you think you'll change with a bumper sticker anyway? As I think a comedian once said, "I don't get the bumper stickers that proclaim the divinity of Jesus. Really, how gullible do you think the Jews are that all it takes is a bumper sticker to convert?" Or something like that. So keep your politics and your religious beliefs off your car. It's classier that way.