Spotted!

Several months ago, before the election, I got an excited voicemail from my Aunt and Uncle in Baltimore, Maryland telling me they were driving down the freeway and saw a van with a bumper sticker that read "Don't Drink the Kool-Aid". Unfortunately the van took the next exit and they were unable to get a picture of it. Luckily I was driving home the other day and spotted a red 4x4 heading past the Nike campus with the very same sticker! Traffic seemed a little irritated that I stopped in the middle of the street to take a picture, and the driver was suspicious to say the least, but it was worth it! Well...sorta. The sticker was on the far side of the truck, it was raining, and all I had time to grab was my megapixel camera phone so it's not such a clear shot. Some of you will need a little imagination to believe it's really my sticker but I saw it clearly, it definitely was.

I still have the stickers for sale and in fact I have been pleasantly surprised by how popular they've been since the election. Demand has dropped off for sure, but not at the rate I expected. In fact, I've taken the time to add shirts, coffee mugs, bags, tank tops, magnets, and a few other items as well. If you haven't had a chance, go take a look. Who knows, you might find something you like.

Dissent is STILL Patriotic

Remember seeing a bumper sticker draped across the back of so many ancient Volvo's over the past eight years, right next to such gems as "Free Tibet" and "Attack Iraq? NO!"? What did it say? "Dissent is the highest form of Patriotism." It's a quote usually attributed to Thomas Jefferson, although the validity of that is up for debate. Doesn't it seem like as soon as President Obama walked into the Oval Office, we were all supposed to put our partisan differences aside and follow him off a cliff? This was bound to happen with such a captivating leader, but it doesn't mean it's right. To express myself, as I've grown accustomed to doing, I made a sticker.

Dissent is STILL Patriotic

Like it? Hope so! I had the idea a few weeks ago and then about a week ago my like-minded uncle emailed me requesting nearly this exact phrase on a sticker. So hopefully conservatives around the country will dig the idea. If you're one such person, stickers are currently $4.50 each at Cafepress.com/stillpatriotic. Go get one!

I don't want to be a person who dissents just because a candidate has a D next to his name instead of an R, that's not the case at all. But with the rampant spending and anti-life actions the President has already taken, count me as a dissenter. I also can't stand the mindset that he's trying to give the country; whenever he speaks he's accompanied by these down-on-their-luck cases and insists that it's his job to pick them up off the ground. He also insists that he needs to carry them and the only way to do that is by bringing down the responsible part of the population who have earned enough to not need the help. The whole thing lacks personal responsibility and it's more damaging to our psyche than anything George W. Bush ever did.

Ultimately I feel positive about the future for conservatives. I heard liberal radio host Nancy Skinner poking fun at the Republican Party, saying they need ideas for what direction to go in. Conservatives are definitely in an awkward place right now but it's not a place we haven't been in before and we've never just gone away. I feel like the country in general is a lot more conservative than Democrats think and the decisions they make will not move the country in a direction most people are comfortable with. It may seem bleak now but, as a wise man once said, the night is always darkest before the dawn.

Two More for Obama Haters

If you enjoyed my post a few weeks ago you should love this. I've been at it again, combining my wit with mediocre design skills. As the weeks have gone on and more shadiness has been uncovered about Obama's comrades, I've been more and more energized against his bid for President. Hilary is done doing her worst so now it's time for conservatives across the country to voice their opinion. To do my part, I've added two snide options to place on your bumper, bringing the count to three:


I certainly wasn't around for the Carter era, so it may seem strange for me to make that middle one, but after listening to clips from Carter next to clips from Obama, the similarities are undeniable.

I think the new stickers are really aimed at a different audience. These talk more about how bad a President he'll be as opposed to addressing his followers' religious-like devotion. All three messages are appropriate, though. The more I listen to Obama's ideas the less I like them. I have no confidence in him to do any good for the economy and he sounds like he's way over his head when it comes to foreign policy. I still haven't been able to get excited about John McCain, but it's been really easy to get excited about opposing Obama.

I ordered the first bumper sticker from Cafe Press and was really pleased with how it turned out. The image is clear and the sticker itself is a high quality. They're expensive, at about $3.50 per sticker, but it's a small price to pay to let the people around you know that there are still conservatives left in the world. Sometimes I wonder, living in Oregon. In walking around my neighborhood today I saw at least 15 Obama yard signs and exactly zero McCain signs. I also read in the news today that there are four times more Obama products than there are McCain products available at Cafe Press. Hopefully the Anti-Obama message will be something people can get behind. Anyway, I've set up two more shops at Cafe Press so that you can order the new stickers:

Click here to order the "Change" sticker
Click here to order the "Second Coming" sticker
Click here to order the "Kool-Aid" sticker

As always, let me know if you have any feedback.

Don't Drink the Kool-Aid

I've never posted about politics before but I feel like there is a reason to now. Ever since the primary campaigns started up I've been troubled by this wholehearted devotion to Barrack Obama that a good portion of the country seems to have taken to. It's not that I'm appalled that people agree with the things that he says, but what troubles me is that I think a lot of his supporters don't really know what he stands for and yet they're so dedicated to him and his campaign. So I whipped up a graphic in my spare time that gets to the point:


For those of you unfamiliar with the reference, read this. For those of you who do get it, I think you'll agree that the message is more fitting here than it ever has been when used in pop culture. Again, this is not aimed at those who have listened to the little bit of actual content that he's said and agree with him (because there may be no hope for you). This is for those of you with moderate to conservative political views who have fallen under Barack's sweet, sweet spell. This is meant to be a wake up call and a grassroots effort to try and make it okay to stop listening to the way he says things and instead listen to what he actually says. If people start doing that, I think there is hope this November yet. As it stands, I've only ever heard his supporters talk about how inspiring and charismatic he is, which is no good reason to elect a President.

Spread the word!
This message isn't going to do much good if the word doesn't get out there. To do this, I've got three ways. The first is to do as I've done and put this little poster I've created on your website, or your blog, or your Facebook page, or wherever it is that people go to hear your voice. If you want to put it on your website, here is the HTML code:

<a href="http://cameronhinkle.com/blog/id/1719814690632762619">
 <img width="150" height="225" 
   src="http://www.cameronhinkle.com/images/dontdrinkthekoolaidsmall.jpg" />
</a>

You can link it to whatever site you want by changing the value inside "href". Link it to your party's website or the official website of your favorite candidate or leave it as it is and it will link to this post. You could also not link to anything, the important thing is getting the message out. If you want to add it to your Facebook or MySpace or Bebo page, right click on the image and select "Save Image As...", save it to your hard drive and then upload it to your account. If people want different sizes I'd be happy to make them, just email me what size you want.

The second way to spread the word is by wearing it- on your head, chest or car. I set up a Cafe Press account today and created a hat, t-shirt, and bumper sticker. Wouldn't you look awesome walking into work wearing this hat? Forget about all the crap you'll take from your coworkers, you'll be doing them a favor. Anyway, the store is set up at http://www.cafepress.com/badkoolaid. Bumper stickers are $3.49, T-Shirts are $11.99, and hats are $12.99. If you really want an item that I haven't setup there, let me know and I can add it.

Lastly, Digg this! And Stumble it, and Reddit it! I'm not exactly the Blogomaniac; I'm not going to have thousands of people reading this as soon as it hits the web. If you think it's a worthwhile message, click the little buttons at the bottom of the post to send it to the news aggregation sites. You'll be doing your part to help keep America America.

To be clear, this is not an endorsement for Hilary or McCain. This is just an effort to wake up those who need it before it's too late.