Wednesday, December 01, 2004

Magnetic Ribbons

Luke has a new way to kill time on car rides: count the "support the troops" magnetic ribbons on the backs of other cars and trucks. It's not difficult to get into the hundreds if you're on the road for half an hour. Some cars have two (the stars-and-stripes version and the yellow ribbon version); I even saw a "triple" the other day on Orange Street. In the future, nothing will say "2004" more certainly than a "support the troops" car magnet.

Blackfive, however, has an excellent observation. It's one thing to tell your neighbors that your car supports the troops, at a cost of a buck or a fin or whatever those magnets cost. But hows about, at the same time, you actually do it?

[M]y point is that displaying your support and actually supporting the troops are two very important but very different actions. So think about it and ask those nice people (with the best intentions) who display their support to spend their hard earned money on organizations that truly support the troops. You might say, "Hey, that's great that you support the troops! Have you heard of Soldier's Angels or Spirit of America?"

He's got a whole list of appropriate organizations beyond those two.

The yellow ribbon, by the way, is not a tradition from the Civil War.