This guy's a local politically involved granola-weenie who worries about all the Al Gorian type of non-issues and complains to the local papers on a regular basis.
Here's his web-site -- Carry A Big Sticker:
http://www.carryabigsticker.com/index_bush.htm
Here's what he has to say about his t-shirt fiasco:
WARNING--Long and "I'm the innocent one here who didn't realize I might upset anyone with these shirts but Bush lied" read!
This is not a bumper sticker. It is our first T-shirt. One dollar from the sale of each shirt will be donated to a charitable organization that assists families of U.S. troops.
The background of this image is created by the names of about 1,700 U.S. soldiers who died in Iraq between March 21, 2003 and June 13, 2005. The names are in alphabetical order, with half the names on the front, and the other half on the back. The names are small, but easily read without magnification.
I think of this product as both a scathing indictment of George W. Bush and a memorial to the brave young soldiers who gave their lives in Iraq on behalf of their country. Perhaps someday they will get the memorial they deserve in Washington. Until then, this will have to suffice.
Bush is most famous for lying about the weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. It was this lie that arguably was most responsible for the deaths of hundreds of U.S. soldiers in Iraq, not to mention thousands of innocent Iraqi civilians.
But Bush has lied in many other areas as well, from denying global warming to boasting about an improving economy that is actually on the skids. His lies are legion, and have spawned a cottage industry of books including The Lies of George W. Bush by David Corn and Lies and the Lying Liars who Tell Them by Al Franken.
I want to acknowledge that a number of relatives of fallen soldiers have contacted me to express their displeasure (or disgust) with the products I sell that bear the names of their loved ones.
I admit that I did not contact the families of soldiers to get their permission. This would have been a monumental exercise, and would no doubt have proved impractical given the differing opinions among various family members.
Of course, this product is not meant to be a statement on behalf of the families or the fallen soldiers. It is a statement on behalf of those who believe that this war was a tragic and terrible mistake -- and not an innocent mistake.
I should also like to point out that many of the soldiers who died in Iraq believed that they were fighting for democracy. Democracy is built in large part on freedom of speech. The First Amendment to the Constitution protects these products, and all such similar examples of free speech.
Finally, I would like to express my sincere condolences to all of those who have lost loved ones in this war. No matter what they believed, or which side they were on, those who died will be missed.
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An open letter to the friends &
families of the fallen
Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts about the Bush Lied They Died products my company is selling. I am sorry that I am not able to respond individually to the complaints that I am receiving from the friends and families of those troops who have died in Iraq. However, I am reading every message and I would like to respond to some of the most common concerns expressed in these e-mails.
I am surprised at the outpouring of emotion that has been aroused by these products. For nearly a year and a half, my company sold a large bumper sticker that said "Bush Lied" and included the names of more than 500 fallen U.S. troops. I do not recall receiving a single complaint about that product, which sold-out after I sold a few hundred stickers.
I am sorry that so many wives, parents, other family members, and friends of the fallen have been so offended by these products. It was not my intention to offend you. Nor did I expect this kind of reaction. Despite all the criticism I have received, I still fail to see how my products change the indisputable fact that these men and women exhibited great bravery on behalf of their country. The statement is much more about the president than about the troops. The names of the troops are used to underscore the scale of the human tragedy caused by the president's lie. As it clearly says on my Web site, these products were never intended to be a statement endorsed by the fallen or their families. But I also know that at least some family members would endorse such a statement. And if we could somehow poll the fallen themselves, we might be surprised at how many of them would agree with the statement that these products make.
These products are not meant to imply that the cause for which these men and women died was not worthwhile. History may show that these troops did in fact die for a worthy cause. Peace and stability may yet come to Iraq. Only time will tell. These products do not in any way imply that these men and women died for a cause they did not believe in.
Much has been made of my failure to get permission from the families before using the names of the fallen. Not only would this have been a monumental endeavor for a small company like mine, but it would be impractical. There would certainly be many cases where the wife said no, but the mother said yes, or vice-versa. All kinds of disagreements would arise between family members. Who would have the final say?
I should perhaps point out that I have sold only a handful of these products to date. I am a long way from making any money on these products. However, as word continues to spread about the availability of these products, I suspect these products will begin to sell more quickly.
Several wives and others have asked me to remove various names from the products. Others have asked me to discontinue selling these products. Despite these requests, I have no plans to remove any names or discontinue any of these products, no matter how many requests I receive. Every name matters, and will be retained to help underscore the horrific loss of life that has been caused by President Bush's rush to war under false pretenses. The more plentiful and impassioned the pleas that I take names off these products, or stop selling them, the more aware I become of the depth of the pain and suffering that has been caused by the lies of President George W. Bush, and the more convinced I am that products like these should be part of the national debate over the merits of this war.
Some have said that I should not be degrading the sacrifices of the troops because it is sacrifices like these that enable me to enjoy the freedoms I enjoy, including freedom of speech. First of all, I do not believe that I am degrading anyone's sacrifice. Moreover, if I agree with the idea that throughout history my fellow Americans have fought and died for my freedoms (true enough), why would I be so cowardly as to give up these freedoms? Surely I should be exercising these freedoms, especially when the end result of doing so might be to prevent the deaths of more brave soldiers who may believe that they are fighting for democracy and all that it entails, including free speech.
To lose a loved one in any war is a terrible thing. To lose a loved one in a controversial war is even worse. But to take your anger out on people like me who opposed this war from the beginning, and who continue to work to bring our remaining troops home in one piece, would seem to be a case of misplaced anger. We are all American brothers and sisters. My grandfather fought in World War II and was wounded. My father was also in the military. We may not always agree with one another, but I think we can agree that the names of the fallen should be remembered, that telling the truth is important, and that every American has a right to speak their opinion.
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