masked advertising

We spent the remainder of the holiday weekend cleaning up chaos caused by the carport sale.

Another near-tornado came through, this time knocking off a LARGER chunk of the tree in the front yard. Chad and I were walking (running) back from the neighbor’s house when it came down. We were making our way back to the front door when we heard the “CRACK”… I didn’t know I could run that fast. Kevin, who was watching us from the carport said we took off with Warner Brothers cartoon speed.

Sometime over the holiday weekend, someone went through and “flagged” our neighborhood, lining our streets with little plastic American flags.

I thought it was a charming, (albeit a little tacky), expression for Memorial Day. It wasn’t until I approached one of the flags in our yard that my opinion changed.

Attached to each flag was a card printed which read “Never Forget… United We Stand” – and beneath it a real estate agent’s business card attached with a staple.

Scuzzy self promotion dressed up with hollow expressions of patriotism. Does this woman have a child serving in the Middle East? Did this woman have fallen relatives in mind who gave up their lives for this country back when wars were fought over a easily perceivable evil?

I sincerely doubt either.. She’s peddling her services – and, like so many other companies and our current corrupt administration, are plucking at the long out of tune heart stings of the American Public.

I see this sort of thing everywhere and it all has a similar effect on me. Just the other day at the gas station I noticed a little package on the “truck-stop-speed” kiosk which resides next to the cash register. A little package showing it’s contents – two capsuels, full of ephedrine, (a component used to make Crystal Meth and a substance abused by truckers and college photography students). The capsules were printed with the American Flag – the package read: “Energize for Freedom!”

While examining the ad in my front yard I noticed our annoyingly nosy neighbor across the street spying on me as she’s apt to do.

I looked up and in very plain view broke the stick off of the flag… walked over to the trash can and threw it and it’s attached ad away, keeping the flag. I shot a smile, a wink and a little wave of my now liberated flag to the nosy bitch – and went back inside.

I guess in a free country – you’re “Free” to be a tactless, shameless asshole in pursuit of a buck.

I’m free to openly say it makes me sick.

I’m free to deny keeping a blog too.