Bumper Stickers

Once again, Eugene ate my bike a few weeks ago. The other scenario is that I locked my nice Trek up to a fence very poorly, assuming that no one in the peaceful and loving city of Eugene would steal from me. Obviously, I was sorely mistaken. You think I would have learned by now, seeing that this is my 3rd bike stolen in eugene, but you know what they say in Russia. Anyway, now I have no bike, therefore I drive everywhere, leaving my "carbon footprint" all over this small, very busy world.

Since I have been driving so much, I get to see a lot of bumper stickers. There are a few that come to mind that I have seen more and more around town that drive me crazy, and I will now vent my feelings and questions.

Bumper sticker #1: Driving down Newport Ave., I get behind this baby-blue Ford Bronco. On the lower bumper, the content reveals, "Smoke a pack a day", with a picture of a wolf and a big red X through the picture. Now listen, I do not consider myself an environmentalist, democratic, republican, hippie, hipster, animal hugger, tree hugger, ect. The reason this act of free speech pisses me right off is that these people DO NOT understand biology or ecology. It's SCIENCE people! To be an active participant on this planet (not just "our society" or "our country"), education is the key. I understand why people have these extremist views. Ranchers are pissed that wolves are back in Oregon and killing their livestock. Elk hunters are convinced that reintroducing wolves will kill off the elk population, so hunters will not have anything left to hunt. That idea is one of the most erroneous statements I have ever heard. There is something called the predator-prey relationship model. "Logic and mathematical theory suggest that when prey are numerous their predators increase in numbers, reducing the prey population, which in turn causes predator number to decline. The prey population eventually recovers, starting a new cycle" (http://www.globalchange.umich.edu/globalchange1/current/lectures/predation/predation.html). Therefore, elk hunter's beliefs are wrong (I am not sorry for being blunt). As for the environmentalists and the wolf huggers, you cannot disregard the needs of the cattle industry. Raising cattle is their livelihood and some small communities survive because of ranching. You cannot tell these people to find some other form of income when their families have been in this industry for many generations. What this issue comes down to is meeting everyone halfway, and I think I have a solution to part of the problem, because this problem is very complex and there are a lot of interests at stake. I am a meat-eater and I, personally, am willing to pay a few extra bucks at the grocery store to help compensate ranchers for lost cattle due to wolves. The numbers that are killed by wolves are minimal, and I think if you hike the price for meat a few bucks, I think meat-eaters will and should accept this responsibility.

Bumper sticker #2: More and more mini vans seem to have stickers that display the driver's family. Sometimes there is a mom, dad, maybe three kids, and a few dogs. They all seem to be white stick figures that are somewhat goofy looking. I am not as emotionally invested in this bumper sticker, but I am just a little puzzled as to why someone feels the urge to advertise how many dogs, children, wives, or husbands a family has. Are you trying to tell everyone how many people you are able to support, therefore a status symbol kind of thing? Kind of like having three Porsches' in your driveway, not only saying that you can purchase these cars but you can also run them on premium petrol, as well as the insurance for the toy. Or could it be like a "baby on board sign"? Don't you dare rear end me, I could have some kids and a few dogs on board that could give me plenty of reason to sue your ass for everything you got! Or I guess it could be a pride thing? People are just showing off to the world what they're all about. "I have a reason for living, do you!?" Just some food for thought.