Mar 8th, 2010
by The Sticker.
Here at Progressive Bumper Sticker, we don’t believe in sacred cows. We’re happy to take a holy idea and it a holey idea.
A lot of the time, our target is the world’s dominant religion, Christianity. Big power invites great satire, after all.
All religions are ripe for satirical scrutiny, however. That includes the Hindu-Buddhist tradition, with its emphasis on detachment from the everyday world, and all the things that truly matter to most of us.
Be here now, the Buddhist instruction for mindfulness tells us. Really, though, what are our imaginations for, if not to take us somewhere else now, when we would rather not be here?
This bumper sticker offers a gentle response to the mindful approach: Be Over There Now.
Posted in: culture.
Tagged: be here now · buddhism · detachment · hinduism · mindfulness · satire
Mar 7th, 2010
by The Sticker.
Is this what it’s come down to? Is the anti-war movement reduced to asking, um, well, hey hey, you know, if you could get around to winding down that war, Mr. Obama, one of these years, that would be great and all? Now would be great. Or, you know, nowish, if that’s all right with you?
What happened to the clarity of the anti-war movement? Did the fierce urgency of NOW die off with the departure of George W. Bush? Was the anti-war movement really more of an anti-Bush movement? Have we fallen under the spell of a new president who seems to promise us change without specifying exactly what change means or when change will happen? Or is there a difference between a movement to stop a war from commencing and a movement to deal with a war that is already under way?
Regardless of the reason, the anti-war movement in America seems lost in a quagmire of words that end in ish.
Posted in: politicians, war.
Tagged: anti-war · iraq · movement · nowish · out of iraq · peace · social movement · vague
Mar 1st, 2010
by The Sticker.
Late last week, knowing that the news would come out on a Friday, when few people pay attention to the news, the House of Representatives sneaked through a piece of legislation that the Democratic majority knew would be profoundly unpopular with its progressive base. So, the House Democrats went along with a Senate scheme to conceal the legislation as an amendment to a Medicare reform bill.
The legislation: An amendment to extend the most abusive parts of the Patriot Act – without any reforms at all. These unconstitutional spying practices are almost never used in relation to cases of suspected terrorism, and even when they are used, the chances aren’t good that they result in actionable information.
In short, the Patriot Act isn’t doing much to actually protect Americans from terrorism. What the Patriot Act is accomplishing is the creation of a Big Brother system of federal government spying against its own citizens, leading Americans to always suspect that even their most private activities are being watched.
Such a state of continual fear of government espionage is inherently incompatible with the survival of democracy. That’s why this bumper sticker rallies the American people to the defense of liberty – to repeal the Patriot Act. We don’t need Big Brother to spy on our private lives.
Posted in: Uncategorized.
Tagged: big brother · congress · patriot act · privacy · spying · terrorism
Feb 22nd, 2010
by The Sticker.
What? Science doesn’t matter?!?
That’s the argument made by a growing number of Americans, who say that they don’t trust science, and think that major policy decisions should be made merely on the basis of “common sense” or “gut instinct” – emotional guesses about what people want to be true.
This bumper sticker responds to the critics. Science doesn’t matter, unless you care about reality.
Posted in: culture.
Tagged: education · knowledge · reality · science
Feb 12th, 2010
by The Sticker.
Congressman Charlie Melancon has been running a slick little game for a while, trying to get the best of both worlds. He’s registered as a Democrat, but acted like a Republican. He figures he can take Democratic votes for granted, and take a big chunk of Republican votes too.
It’s the Blue Dog Democrat strategy to a T – and it’s enabled Melancon to rise to the top of the right wing Blue Dog Coalition in the House of Representatives. The Blue Dog Democrats are like Melancon – voting like Republicans in Congress, but registered as Democrats for electoral advantage. Melancon has become the co-chair of the Blue Dogs, leading the charge as the Blue Dogs rip apart progressive Democratic legislation.
Charles Melancon thinks that kind of political two-timing has earned him a promotion, so this year, Melancon is campaigning to become Louisiana’s newest United States Senator. The bumper sticker you see here speaks to Melancon’s bid, reading, Melancon is too much like a Republican to get this Democrat’s vote.
Posted in: political parties, politicians.
Tagged: blue dogs · congress · democrat · louisiana · melancon · senate
Feb 9th, 2010
by The Sticker.
No, it’s not a mangy old bumper sticker. It’s a new bumper sticker, about mangy old Blue Dog Democrats in Congress.
This year, once again, Democratic voters are being asked to plug their noses, never mind the stench of betrayal, and give their support to members the right wing Blue Dog Coalition. Those Blue Dogs are Democrats, but they vote with the Republicans, wrecking Democratic Party attempts to to pass progressive legislation on issues like health care and climate change, over and over again.
Democratic voters have been asking themselves: What’s the point of having a Democratic majority in Congress, when it’s made up of creeps like the Blue Dogs? This year, the discontent is out in the open, with bumper stickers like this one, declaring, I’ll never give my vote to a mangy old Blue Dog – featuring a graphic of a blue dog, slinking away.
Posted in: political parties.
Tagged: blue dogs · congress · democrats
Feb 8th, 2010
by The Sticker.
U.S. Representative Sanford Bishop, of the 2nd congressional district in Georgia, is registered as a Democrat, but a lot of the time he votes more like a Republican. That’s because Congressman Bishop is a Blue Dog Democrat, a member of a right wing coalition that’s dedicated to fighting against progressive legislation on behalf of corporate interests.
Sanford Bishop consistently votes against the progressive values of his constituents, and in favor of the interests of corporate polluters. The Democrats of Georgia’s 2nd district deserve better – and it’s to them that this bumper sticker is designed to speak. Sanford Bishop? I want a real Democrat! – not a blue dog.
Posted in: politicians.
Tagged: blue dogs · congress · democrat · georgia · right wing · sanford bishop
Jan 31st, 2010
by The Sticker.
There’s a mind-blowing message on this sticker from a collection of sexual liberty bumper stickers: You can’t be Catholic and ProChoice – unless you think for yourself.
Think for yourself? Aren’t Catholics just supposed to follow the teachings of their church?
Well, the priests of the Catholic Church like to say a whole lot of things about how things have to be – but then they go about breaking their own rules. The truth about Catholicism is that it’s not a purely top-down religious tradition. The Catholic laity makes decisions about Catholicism just as much as the priests, and what Catholics actually do is often very different from what Catholic priests say they do.
So, yes, many Catholics like to think for themselves, not just take orders. Guess what? Most Catholics are pro-choice, because they don’t check their brains as they enter the pews.
Posted in: culture.
Tagged: abortion · catholic · catholicism · pro choice · sexuality
Jan 30th, 2010
by The Sticker.
This bumper sticker has been on the market for at least a year now, but it became especially appropriate today, with the announcement by Steve Buyer that he will be retiring at the beginning of next year, rather than attempt to run for re-election this year.
Bye Bye Buyer, it reads, “Indiana can do better”.
Indiana certainly can do better. In the current session of Congress, Congressman Buyer earned a negative 49 legislative score from That’s My Congress. There is now hope that the 4th congressional district of Indiana can elect a more forward-looking Representative.
Posted in: politicians.
Tagged: congress · indiana · republican · retirement · steve buyer
Jan 24th, 2010
by The Sticker.
This bumper sticker is designed to counter the Amero-centric view of the world that many citizens of the United States tend to slouch into as their lives progress. Most of us never cross the borders of our nation into another country even once, and even fewer of us go further than a few miles into Canada or Mexico.
Our foreign policy reflects this limited view, designed as if the needs of the United States are the only important thing in the world. Place this bumper sticker on your car to remind your neighbors on the road that the planet Earth is bigger than just the USA
Posted in: culture.
Tagged: american · global · planet. earth · usa
