CITYWIDE President Bush isn’t too well liked around these parts, a place where locals are encouraged to honk if they’re horny and reminded that clones are people two.
Well, that’s the word on the street. It doesn’t take a random sampling of voters to monitor the political pulse in Santa Monica. All one has to do is look at the car in front of them and chances are they will see a bumper sticker bashing the embattled president or supporting one of his Democratic rivals. Even you, John Kerry.
There’s the sticker with George junior’s face and the word “Liar” printed in bold beneath it, or the one that reads,“Like a rock, only dumber.” Others simply have a date, 01/20/09 — Bush’s last day in the Oval Office. The stickers have become so popular that Richard Parr, a Santa Monica resident, decided to open his own bumper sticker business (www.antibushbumperstickers.com) strictly dedicated to the 43rd president.
“Unless you have a lot of money, what voice do you really have?” Parr asked, pointing out the importance of bumper messages such as “Dick + Bush = Screwed.”
“This is one inexpensive way for people to get their point across.”
Bush and the war in Iraq are hot topics on the streets, but Santa Monicans have other things on their minds as well, including health care, favorite sports teams and the environment. While bumper stickers are not posted on every car in the city, and numbers suggest that the sticky message boards are dwindling in popularity, there are still those willing to wear their hearts on their sleeves... and on their rear bumpers.
On her 1993 Nissan pick-up, Limary Vargas placed a bumper sticker the reads: “Yes, this is my truck. No, I won’t help you move.” It’s certainly not as thought-provoking as others, but it has gotten the attention of plenty of drivers.
“I’ve had people drive up next to me and say, ‘Hey, I love your bumper sticker. It’s so true,’” said Vargas, whose truck brandishes the personalized license plate “Grl Powa.”
Vargas, who is not a fan of bumper stickers and would never consider putting one on any other car she purchases, felt the sticker was perfect for her truck, since she’s always being asked by friends and family to move things for them. She first saw the sticker in a gift shop but passed on buying it. After some careful contemplation, she decided she couldn’t drive without it, but could no longer find it.
Vargas spent the next two years seeking out her perfect sticker, finally spotting it while on a vacation in Las Vegas.
“Other people put political statements on their cars,” Vargas said. “I just wanted something funny. I’m not a big fan of them in the first place because I think they take away from the beauty of the car, especially if you have more than one... but with this one, I couldn’t resist.
“I totally identify with it.” Still, the sticker hasn’t had the desired effect, with people continuing to ask her to serve as their personal U-Haul truck.
“My friends and family still ask (me to move),” Vargas said. “They know I’ll always do it for them. It usually means a free lunch or a full tank of gas.”
Some motorists take a far more serious approach when slapping sentiments on their rears. Farah Davari is one. The labor representative for the California Nurses Association has a sticker on his SUV that reads, “Healthcare, not warfare.” The sticker was created by his employer and he displays it with pride.
It is the first sticker Davari has placed on any car he’s owned.
“It is hard to find the perfect short message that defines one’s expression about social and political changes in the world,” Davari said. “’Healthcare, not welfare’ appeals to me in that sense.
“I never shopped for bumper stickers,” Davari added. “Those which I came across mostly seemed a temporary message with short-term resonance. And yes, I did worry about getting them off. But this one seems to be a lasting message …This bumper sticker will resonate more and more with time. I don’t think I’ll be able to change someone’s
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on October 6, 2007. Read the original PDF.