1,722 Today's Sign Was Quickly Vandalized Anyway

[ThomWV]

I have two signs, each updated in the morning.

One sign is on my property, beside the road, close to but down from the house. No one messes with that sign in this 2nd-Amendment conscious part of the country. The result of being discovered in vandalizing that sign would be immediate, utterly predictable, and closely associated with the phrase 12-Gage, At 75 yards one won't kill, or even maim with the #6 shot I use, but the report will certainly be memorable. Sounds like that 'sink in'.

My second sign is duct-taped to the guard rail of a bridge over a creek at the bottom of the hill. There are a couple of other signs there too; a lost dog, a Community meeting about city water, a garage sale. The sign displays a number, different and higher most days from the day before.

The second sign was down and gone in 3 hours this morning. 8 'till 11, it came down right after church. That is a new record. Doesn't matter though. It was already out of date in reading 1,720.

A neighbor's girl, who we sold our old car last month, came by this morning to make a payment. She asked what the number meant? I told her it was how many US troops had been killed in Iraq. She responded that her grandmother thought that was it. Smart old girl. Confirming the meaning of the number will spread the word again, this time as Gospel truth and curiosity will cause each of them to look as they pass by.

Someone had been tearing down the sign at the bottom of the hill daily. I don't mind too much. Each day the sign he or she tears down has a number that is higher than the previous day's. I don't mind because this serial vandal is the person I want to notice the number.

I do not think anyone can look at the day's number and continue to support our President or his war for long. One day I will put up my morning sign and it will be there in the evening. Then I will mark up one convert ... whoever he or she is.

[Cha]

1. Thank you for this in

West Virginia. We have a guy outside of our New York town who puts the number of the dead Soldiers up on the side of his barn.

[fortyfeetunder]

2. Smear that sign with gentian violet

If it's not raining too badly, find some gentian violet powder (found at the pharmacist) and sprinkle it on the sign.

The numbskull who puts hands on it will be marked purple for awhile. It takes a few days for the purple to wash off.

If you live in a small town, you'll probably find out soon enough.

[alcibiades_mystery]

3. Yes...very good

The sign tearer IS the target audience. The public notice is just the delivery device to that target audience. Well done.

[Lars39]

4. What site do you use to update daily?

I've been wanting to write the number on my vehicle every time I go somewhere,
and to wear the number as a pin, too.

[unhappycamper]

7. http://icasualties.org/oif/

It's about the only place you can get the truth about Iraq & Afghanistan coalition deaths.

[Lars39]

17. Thanks!

[ThomWV]

9. Link To A Sit e

http://icasualties.org/oif/

That is a link to the site I use. There are more of course but I use the same one each day just for consistancy's sake.

I don't really want to turn my vandal's hands blue, or do anything else discomforting to him or her. I just want that person to know the number and take from it what they will. I want them to know the correct number and I want them to know when it has increased. I do not want him or her guessing.

[Henny Penny]

12. I like your methods...

slow but sure, with the added advantage of switching on countless other passers by.

Instead of gentian violet, perhaps you could put the web site address on the back of the sign... and the person might be led on little treasure trail of enlightenment.

:thumbsup:

I'm reminded of Atticus Finch for some reason! :-)

[unhappycamper]

19. I ran out of black markers, but this is what mine looks like.

http://i17.photobucket.com.nyud.net:8090/albums/b54/unhappycamper/postah331-re.jpg

I'm putting four plastic pouches to hold 6-inch high black numbers.

[Lars39]

16. Thanks!

[Stuckinthebush]

30. Self delete - wrong place

[stevedeshazer]

5. Shredding the truth = denial

Keep telling the truth, Thom, and thanks. :thumbsup:

[kittenpants]

6. nice post

& thanks for putting the signs out.

[PsN2Wind]

8. Start posting the sign

on the back of a 100 meter rifle target with some holes in the ten ring. Very subtle but effective.

[mongo]

29. Or maybe "thou shalt not steal"

on back of the sign.

[uppityperson]

10. 1722? It was 1720 a couple hours ago.

They must have listed more. It is hard to keep up. I quit doing my car window signs around 1400s, time to start again.

[babylonsister]

11. Why would someone vandalize a sign like this?

Makes no sense to me; you're not smearing anyone's name or reputation, you're telling the truth.
Great work, ThomWV, thank you for getting the truth out there, no matter how ugly it seems to some.

[Tigress DEM]

14. In the world of make believe... not in the basement of the White House

but the REAL World of Make Believe.... in that world, if you don't see it, it hasn't happened. This explains why if it isn't in the MSM then it didn't happen.

Like little kids who close their eyes and say, "You can't see me!"

[RedSock]

27. babylonsister: you answered your own question

As I'm sure you know.


Q: Why would someone vandalize a sign like this? ...

A: ... you're telling the truth.

[Tigress DEM]

13. Still would be a great INDY tale if you could catch the scum doing it.

I mean you know it gets taken out every day. If you have or can borrow/rent a good video recorder with a telefoto lense you can camp out in a concealed area where you can still see the sign sometime after setting it up. Then when your friend comes to do his deed, you'll know who you're up against. A kid, a cop, a rethuglican businessman.

Then you can put your own story up on an Indy Web Site showing how petty this all is getting and wondering why some people are more afraid of having the truth known than of having such a number in the first place.

[proud patriot]

15. Keep it up

:hug: we must not relent

[LizW]

18. I love this post!

:yourock:

[0rganism]

20. Put up another sign next to it that says

support the troops
care for the veterans
honour and remember the fallen

See how long that one stays up.

[katinmn]

21. Good job. Thom!

:thumbsup:

[oasis]

22. Kool aid drinkers say "freedom isn't free" but hide the price tag.

[Theres-a]

24. Well said.

1723 now......

[Bouncy Ball]

23. Geez, I thought it was still 1700.

The bumper sticker I made a week ago is already wrong.

[B Calm]

25. This morning it is 1723 dead.

[catmandu57]

28. You have to update every day

Sometimes several times a day.

[wildeyed]

26. Nice post ThomWV.

Thanks for the good read.

[Stuckinthebush]

31. How about another number under the number killed...

Put the number for those that have been wounded.

[Stinky The Clown]

32. Our neighbor

You can date this photograph by the number. It is changed as needed, sometimes more than once a day.




Fortunately, around here (just outside Baltimore) there's little need for that 12 gage.

[Swede]

33. You sir,are brilliant.

You have caught the guy in a trap of his own making.

[Stockholm]

34. Excellent post nominated n/t