I get amused whenever random strangers voice reactions about the bumper stickers on my car. Today was just such a day.

(Perhaps one of these days, I should have one of my digital camera-wielding friends take a picture of Tobias's rear end so I could post it here for anyone who hasn't seen it themselves. Let's just say the stickers make it quite clear that I am not a fan of the current administration, and have a few interests which might run slightly afoul of the mainstream.)

I was driving down wadsworth, waiting at a stoplight on my way to the carwash, when a man in a truck pulled up in the lane next to me and gave a thumbs up. I rolled down my window, and he said, "I like your bumper stickers."

Always uncertain how to reply to such unexpected statements, I said, "Thanks. I'm glad you like them."

He looked as if he might have wanted to add something, but didn't know what. I didn't know either. I guess it was a moment of awkward kinship, before traffic started moving again and he drove on.

Solidarity. That's really what it's all about, even if only a symbolic gesture. Maybe enough to raise a few people's spirits a little. I know his comment raised mine just a tad. Made me think, "Hey, there are other people I don't know in this world -- in this town, right here -- who give a shit and understand what's going on. And maybe, just maybe there are enough of us out there that if we keep hope alive, we can make things a little better."

And I wonder how many people driving up behind me have seen them without giving any visible response, and taken solace in the knowledge that they are not alone in this fight.

Of course, not all the responses have been positive. Last month, one evening, I was on my way to Best Buy (though I've mostly curbed spending money on such stuff, I did succumb to the extended cut of Return of the King). As I pulled into the parking lot, the car behind me honked its horn several times. I was like, "What the hell? I can't go until the car in front of me moves. Sheesh, have a little patience."

After I had parked, and was on my way into the store, the guy in the car who had been behind me parked in the next row over, got out of his car, and started shouting, "George W. Bush rules! I love George Bush." (Upon hearing this, I couldn't help but recall last year's 1984 play.)

Not wanting an altercation, I decided the best way to deal with idiots is to ignore them, and continued on my way toward the store. But the shouting continued. "Come on, you heard me, you with the blue car. George Bush is gonna kick your ass." Ok, so maybe ignoring wasn't going to work.

(At this point, I suspect that if I had been a member of the opposite gender, I might have been fearful for my own physical safety.* This was a fairly big guy, and it was dark outside. As it was, I was feeling quite wary. The saving grace being that it was a relatively well-populated venue, so anything he attempted would be likely to draw witnesses quickly.)

[*I will have more to elaborate about this topic when I get around to documenting what happened at ASR last August. Soon.]

Time to face the loudmouth. "Hey, do you have a problem?" I shouted back.

"Yeah, I have a problem. I have a problem with John Kerry. The guy is a lying piece of shit."

Yes, this was going to make for an intellectually stimulating debate.

I suppose if I had been more quick-witted, I would have come back with an equally devoid yet salient retort. But honestly, I wasn't in the mood. I was feeling somewhat depressed in general, and locking horns with this moron was the last item on my agenda. So I kept walking, and said, "I'm sorry you feel that way."

He uttered a couple more statements about how George Bush was such a great president as we neared the door, then quickly quieted down as we both crossed the threshold into the Hallowed Zone of Rampant Consumerism, where the flashing screens, special deals, and music drown out all other concerns. Once inside, we wandered in different directions.

But I still wanted to be in and out as quickly as possible, just in case. Is this how it felt for the anti-fascists in Germany circa 1933?

Wearing a prominent badge which expresses one's opinions in public can have its downsides. I remember a few months ago, when I was talking about taking a road trip, someone suggested that it might be a good idea to remove my stickers when traveling through those nasty "red states." I had actually considered trying to devise a way to cover them through certain portions of the trip. (Which didn't end up being nearly as long as I had been thinking about.)

But that would be the wrong message entirely. If we are on the verge of entering into an era of neo-fascism, the quickest way to bring it about would be for those of us who know better to shut our mouths, stay in the corners, and watch as the storm troopers march through the streets. The best defense against tyranny is a vigilant populace willing to risk a little safety to defend its freedoms.

If, on the other hand, this country is really nowhere near what Germany was, and some of us ranters are just overly paranoid, well then there's really nothing to worry about, is there? We can rant online and bumper sticker our cars all we want, and it will all be part of our constitutionally-protected right of free speech.

I think reality falls somewhere between these extremes, and what we do collectively influences the direction it takes. I know what direction I want it to go, so I shall continue to wear my banners proudly. Thumbs up to all others who do so as well.