|
Confounded confrontational buttons
May 4, 2008, 12:05 AM
 Comments
 Print  Email
They say you are what you wear. I've never quite understood what that means. As a matter of fact, I've never figured out who "they" are. I'm not blue jeans and a T-shirt. They should know that.
If you've ever attended a political convention or rally, you would have noticed people who have a fondness for buttons on which a message appears. Perhaps you are one of them.
Some folks at these affairs have buttons on ever inch of that crazy hat they are wearing. Others have them on their coats, some on their purses or baggage. I guess these people are buttons.
I like buttons, but I don't collect them as some people do. Not counting buttons with candidates names on them, I have only one political button. It says " Jesus is a Liberal." I wear it occasionally.
We found the mother lode of buttons when going through my wife Lynne's things the other day. I couldn't find my favorite; It said "If it ain't broke, it soon will be, with GW in charge."
The first place she headed when we got to any convention was the booth where buttons and bumper stickers were sold. She usually pinned them to one of those free bags they give you when you check in.
She came away with these beauties from the 2002 Nevada State Democratic Convention: "God created woman in Her own image." "Won't it be great when schools have all the money they need and the Air Force must hold a bake sale to buy a bomber?" " Welfare mothers are not born. They are made by unpaid child support and unfair wages." " Doing my best to p--s off the religious right." "Keep your laws off my body." "If you think Democrats are messy, try cleaning the House when a herd of elephants has walked through it." "GW can kiss my button." "If you're heading in the right direction, you're probably following a woman."
Her favorite button was the old standby "A woman's place is in the House," meaning the House of Representatives, of course. You have to be careful wearing that one in Nevada.
Lynne marched in Los Angeles on March 16, 1986, in the rain, in something called the National March for Women's Lives. She had a button proclaiming her participation.
At one time, she had at least one button for every Democratic candidate for president since Lyndon Johnson. She had buttons for just about any Democrat who ever ran for office in California: Pat Brown, Jerry Brown, Willie Brown, Tom Bradley and of course, Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein.
She didn't have any button saying " Glen McAdoo for City Council." I ran for office in Simi Valley; you would have thought she would have kept one - after all, I did win. Maybe I didn't have any buttons. That must be it, don't you reckon?
Her collection got me thinking about all the buttons they should have made. For instance; "Who put Dukakis in the tank?" " What happens in Florida, stays in Florida." "She should have cleaned the dress." "She should have burned the dress." "It ain't over till the Supreme Court says so." "Didn't they teach driver ed in Massachusetts?" " I can't wait till Crawford, Texas, becomes a retirement community." "What if Dan Quayle had gone hunting with Dick Cheney?" " Iraq is just a four-letter war."
Lynne always wanted ones that said, "If all else fails, Glen, read the directions," " I don't have the remote," " That was not the dog!" "You're not funny," " I don't do breakfasts," and " I'm nobody's girl." She wanted to wear them around the house.
•••
I cannot end this week's column without expressing my thanks to my community of friends. I got a telephone call from Terri Groves, the mother of the young Marine at Walter Reed I wrote about several years ago. She's back home in Ohio, and called to express her condolences over Lynne's death, as did so many who were so kind during this trying time. Our family is eternally grateful for your support. Words cannot express our admiration for all the people at St. Mary's, they were wonderful.
- Glen McAdoo, a Fallon resident, can be reached at glynn@phonewave.net.
|
M/CLEAR 62°
