It's not a criticism, it's an observation.
Bumper stickers gone wild
Mike Cox

My father had a ritual each election year. He would decide who his choice was and carefully place a sticker supporting that candidate on the chrome bumper of his car. On the first Saturday after Election Day, he would scrape the sticker off as he washed the car.

I can't remember anything else ever gracing the body of one of his autos except a See Rock City banner placed on the bumper with straps while we visited the famous landmark. That one was removed as soon as we got back home.

One weekend, he carefully placed a Bama decal in the rear window after pondering for weeks whether the emblem would limit his visibility or devalue his automobile. Today, we use our cars to proudly proclaim everything we can think of to the driving public. Rear windows have become bulletin boards.

SUVs and minivans have more space to display our sentiments, and an amplified sense of personal importance makes us think the world cares whether our child is a terrific kid or made the kindergarten honor society. Besides, it is extremely easy to declare allegiances. If you sported a peace sign or McGovern sticker in the 60s you might have to fight for your beliefs.

In our current world, one can buy a flexible magnetic emblem or a peel off decal for the window anywhere. Replacing a Garfield peeing on a Ford with Garfield kneeling at a cross takes three minutes.

Jumping bass, flying mallards, and 12- point bucks declare one's preference as an outdoorsman. A Black Number Three keeps the Intimidator alive, or you can purchase custom made In Memorial decals to remember a loved one who departed ahead of schedule.

A little fish on the rear quarter panel denotes a clean- living Christian, even as she squeezes you out of your lane. Stick figure families on the rear window of the minivan warm the hearts of all of us.

Political beliefs, national flags, and funny sayings declare our lifestyles and little sports emblems allow proud parents to brag without having to corner you near the bean dip at a party. Husbands can put one of those I Love My Wife stickers on the pickup and never worry about having to actually say it anymore.

We can support the troops, help eradicate disease, or give comfort to others by simply buying a magnetic ribbon. These things come in so many colors and causes you need a guide to know what they all mean. I wonder if Tony Orlando knows what he started.

As with pop culture, things happen so fast, those of us not in the know are sometimes confused by what we see. Cars in South Carolina are starting to display flip flops in the window along with every possible variation of the palmetto and moon logo.

Last week I saw a circular In Memorial decal with specific birth and death dates. In the center of the circle was a 12- point buck. My guess is a tragedy involving an unusual family pet or maybe hunter's remorse.