SIGN: Response disappoints some

The other day my wife told me about a sign on the White House Grill that read, "Now open Sundays due to boredom, Obama, etc." I said to her, "really?" Then I thought, "He's not afraid to share his opinion, is he." Then the next day we were driving by and saw that someone had blackened over the "Obama" part of the sign. I told my wife either someone vandalized it or he received a complaint from someone and he caved in to it. Either way we were disappointed. Why? Because it's just one more example of someone complaining and threatening to boycott a business because they have and share opinions that the other doesn't like, so they do something to shut them up.

The fact is this restaurant displays several different signs that are an attempt to be humorous that aren't all that humorous to me. But it's who they are. Come on people. Tell me you don't have a friend or relative who wouldn't have a problem with the inclusion of Obama on the sign; are you not going to ever enter their home or talk to them again.

God bless those who can love and accept those that have an opposing opinion. And God help those who are innocent enough to think they can express it without being criticized or threatened, because people, in this politically obsessed world, you will be.

If you are an Obama supporter and you can truthfully say you would have disagreed as well if it had Bush's name; I would call you a true Independent thinker and that's a good thing. But if you must threaten someone or shut them up for expressing their opinion, you are either too far left or too far right.

One last thing; those of you who may feel smug right now that you made this man shut up and keep his freedom of expression to himself; how smug will you feel if the day comes when that freedom is gone?

JERRY MARTIN

Post Falls