Bumper Stickers and Other Signs

I've always enjoyed reading bumper stickers. I suppose the messages people attach to their back bumpers must be pretty important to them. Some messages are very clever, some generate a laugh or two, some are serious, some odd, and others are rather foolish. But every one tells you something about the person driving the car.

Here in The Villages, most folks fall on the conservative side of the political spectrum and so one sees a lot of "Trump 2020" bumper stickers on cars and golf carts. And although I've seen a few anti-Trump stickers, I've yet to see one with a "Biden 2020" message, at least not here in The Villages. I'm sure there are some, but I sure haven't seen one. This tells me that although some folks might not be too happy with our current president, they seem to have little enthusiasm for his opponent. 

Many of our local churches give their members bumper stickers or license plate frames advertising their church. I like to see them because it indicates the importance folks place on their religious faith and their willingness to tell the world.

Every so often I see one of those "Coexist" bumper stickers with letters made up of various religious and other symbols. They've been around a while so I'm sure you've seen them. 

It's a message of "toleration" -- the kind that tries to tell us one religion's as good as another. I suppose it expresses a form of syncretism that strives to realize religious unity by ignoring the differences among various faiths based on an assumption that all religions are essentially the same. This, of course, denies the Great Commission Jesus gave the disciples immediately before His Ascension: 

"Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age" [Mt 28:19-20]

For Christians, then, toleration cannot mean acceptance, for we are called to evangelize. Sometimes it's important to question that which seems okay when it's first encountered.

As for me, I’ve never been much of a bumper-sticker guy. I’ve stuck a few on my back bumper over the years, but generally I tend to avoid them. About 25 years ago, when I was working at Providence College, my bumper sported a sticker that read, "Choose Life, Your Mother Did." 

Naively I thought it was a nice sentiment, one that wouldn’t generate any controversy. After all, who wouldn’t be happy their mother didn’t abort them? 

Boy, was I wrong! Every day, as I drove my little Dodge Neon along I-195 on my rather long commute, a number of drivers would greet me with that all too common sign of highway hostility: a single finger raised high for all to see. Many, to ensure I knew the depth of their disagreement, would sound a simultaneous blast on their horns. I’ll admit I was surprised, but unbothered, by it all. I usually just smiled and waved as if they were old friends.

I can’t recall the exact wording of my next bumper sticker, but it supported the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, an organization of Vietnam vets who strongly opposed John Kerry during the 2004 presidential election. John O’Neil, the group’s spokesman and one of its founders, is a Naval Academy classmate (1967) of mine and, unlike John Kerry, is a man of honor. As a Vietnam veteran myself, I had no reservations putting their sticker on my bumper. Of course, once the election was over, I removed it.

Today there's also a small sticker on the back window of my car indicating I'm a Vietnam veteran. It's there primarily to remind folks that we're still around and proud of our service in that conflict. 

The other day I placed a new bumper sticker on my current car, one that reads: "I Vote Pro-Life."  

I chose it because it states the truth. I have never voted for a candidate, at any level of government, who was not pro-life. I simply cannot vote for a person who supports the slaughter of the most innocent of human lives. On many occasions, because I lived in Massachusetts for 25 years, I’d be faced with two candidates who both supported abortion. When this happened I simply did not vote for either or I wrote in the name of another. 

I’ve actually had several priests tell me I shouldn't be so narrow in my views. As one lectured me, “Don’t be so abortion-focused. You can vote for the lesser of two evils. Anyway, there are other important issues.” Sadly, many of our bishops seem to agree with this. My only response? 

Over 60 million innocent American babies have been murdered since 1973. What could possibly be more important than that? 

And before you accuse me of ignoring capital punishment, you should know that I’m also against the death penalty. I simply do not trust our government — or any earthly government — and our very fallible systems of justice to get it right. Because human justice is inherently unjust, I see no reason to give it the power to take a life.

Another small decal on the back window of my car reads “Faith over Fear”.

What a fitting reminder to folks who seem overly worried about the COVID-19 pandemic; for so many are so very afraid. 

A week or so ago, in a conversation with a parishioner, I expressed my concern that many people, even many of our parishioners, live in fear because of the pandemic. Her response astounded me. Almost shouting, she said,  “Of course we’re afraid! This virus kills older people like us.” Wow! And this from a Christian.

In response I simply reminded her that yes, indeed, we are older and more susceptible to this virus. But that's nothing new. We're more susceptible to most ailments, and so we're far more likely to be dead in five or ten years from any number of causes. But as disciples of Jesus Christ, that really shouldn't bother us. After all, Jesus commanded us, again and again, to "Be not afraid" but to live our faith in trust. 

Every week at Sunday Mass we conclude the Liturgy of the Word by joining together and confessing our faith. And what are the last words of the Nicene Creed? 

"I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen." 

I suppose, then, that's the question for all of us. Do we really look forward to the life of the world to come, or do we instead fear the death that precedes it? 

The only folks who should really be afraid of death are committed atheists. After all, for them this life is all there is and old age must be a very scary thing.

I guess the things that are important to me include faith, life, and country; or at least that's what I'm telling others when they check out the back end of my car.


Note: By the way, John O'Neill, the Swift Boat veteran mentioned above, has written a wonderful book on the discovery of St. Peter's tomb far below the main altar of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. It's an excellent read and I recommend it highly: The Fisherman's Tomb

A Book By a Great American

I am proud to say that in all my years as a Massachusetts resident I never voted for former Senator John Kerry. And I certainly didn't vote for him when he ran for president, a race that, thankfully, he lost. Why did he fail? I've always believed one key reason was the public exposure of his less than honorable service during and after the Vietnam conflict. And this exposure was largely due to John O'Neill who formed the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth to counter the steady stream of untruths told by Kerry after his return from Vietnam. The future senator and Secretary of State told many a whopper about his supposed heroics, but far worse he lied about the honorable service of the truly heroic men who served in Vietnam and fought the Viet Cong in the Mekong Delta. Our nation owes a debt of gratitude to John O'Neill for making the truth known.

John Kerry with Jane Fonda

John O'Neill and I are Naval Academy classmates -- Class of 1967 -- which for me is a true honor. My own service in Vietnam doesn't compare to that of John and his fellow warriors in the Brown Water Navy. As a Navy helicopter pilot I flew some search and rescue missions, mostly off the coast of Vietnam, but John and his crews were truly in the thick of things. Yes, indeed, we owe them a lot. It's just so sad that politicians of both parties failed in their responsibility to those whom they sent into harm's way by losing a most honorable and winnable conflict.

Brown Water Navy

But that's all behind us now...well, mostly. And John, too, has turned to other things. In fact, he has written a book, and a wonderful book it is!   

I've long been fascinated by the story of the excavations that uncovered the tomb of St. Peter beneath the Vatican Basilica that bears his name. Over 30 years ago I read John Walsh's book, The Bones of St. Peter. But that earlier book only whetted my appetite to know more.

Remains of St. Peter's Tomb

And then 10 years ago, Diane and I, on one of our trips to Rome, managed to get tickets for the tour of the tombs beneath St. Peter's Basilica. Called the Scavi Tour, it's limited to about a dozen people and includes the tomb of St. Peter and the necropolis uncovered during the excavations. It was a fascinating experience and the highlight of our visit. I even posted a brief description of the tour on this blog: Click here. (Should you not be able to visit Rome and take the tour, you can still experience the virtual tour online. Click here.) And yet, even after that up-close-and-personal visit, I still wanted to know more about the history of the excavations. 

John O'Neill's book, The Fisherman's Tomb: The True Story of the Vatican's Secret Search, has answered all my questions. It's tells the captivating and true story of the search for St. Peter's tomb, a search necessarily conducted in secrecy since it began in the midst of World War II when Hitler's Wehrmacht occupied Rome. It's an exciting story with a remarkable cast of characters: Pope Pius XII, one of my heroes; Margherita Guarducci, a remarkable archaeologist and epigrapher, a woman you will never forget; and a Texas oilman who secretly funded the entire project. John O'Neill has given us a real page-turner. I sat down, opened the book, and began to read. I couldn't put it down until I finished hours later. Get the book. You'll love it!

I actually have to buy another because a friend grabbed my copy the other day and has yet to return it.