Sam’s Perspective: Signs

I’m Sam Jones. In spite of all of our sophisticated electronics and so called social media, we still rely on old fashioned signs. Signs to get us where we are going, to warn us of where not to go, to let others know who we are and so forth. Its interesting that in this day and age, we still rely on an old tried and true method as a guide. Some signs we take for granted, like the stripe pole outside a barber shop. Some signs won’t be found posted. Some are just colored lines that we are supposed to follow, to get to our destination. But when we get where we are supposed to be, there is usually a sign telling us we have arrived.

We are in the midst of the silly season,… the political “Run for the Roses”, which has evolved at times, into hurtful, hate filled words and slogans. Sad that we just can’t seem to get past that sort of thing to the real issues. On the other hand, our republic guarantees you can say just about anything. Its called freedom of speech. It also applies to signs. We Americans are known to be a cynical bunch and usually a good sign is an easy target for a wit with a magic marker. More often than not, the sign itself can be tongue and cheek.

Well intentioned church signs can sometimes cause one to laugh out loud. For example, “Feeling suicidal? We can help. Services Sunday morning at ten.” Or “Outstanding sausage supper. Come in and eat Pastor Thomas Ressler.” That from a Church of Christ in St. Louis. And this sign posted in front of a Florida church, “Now is a good time to visit, our pastor is on vacation.” This sign is posted in front of a Tulsa cleaners, “Make your underpants do a happy dance.” Some signs can cause you to go, “Wait,… What? Did I get that right?” Did someone actually post a sign that can turn your head around, this day and age? The answer is, Yes and yes.

I direct your attention to a small gun shop and shooting range in Oktaha, Oklahoma. A sign posted there said, “Muslim free”. Now I’m sure you’ve heard the story. That sign made news in Oklahoma, across the nation and around the world. As I said earlier, folks are free to post a sign saying just about anything they want,… within reason. But a sign that slams a race and a religion? Shortly after that sign went up, Oklahoma made news again when a group of heavily armed men showed up in front of this small town business and said they were volunteers,… there to protect the business and the people who shop and shoot there and to enforce the sign.

Things rocked along quietly for a few days then, as usual, the unexpected happened. One of the volunteer “guards” dropped his gun. When it hit the ground, the gun fired and the bullet struck the fellow that dropped it. He’ll be fine but It was a shot heard around the world as once again, Oklahoma made news, once again for the wrong reasons. The sheriff said gun safety rules were not being followed. But that’s not the real issue. The whole episode is a sign,… a sign that something is wrong here and no one seems ready to man up and fix it.

Over the last few years, we’ve seen what guns in the wrong hands, can do. Churches, recruitment centers, movie theaters, schools, demonstrations, children on front porches, little girls reading on their mother’s bed, cops in the line of duty,… and cops making bad decisions, and,… a reporter and photographer trying to do their job. Is anyone out there paying attention to the sign? Oh there’s plenty of blame to go around but blame won’t fix the problem. “The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves.” It’s up to us, all of us, to address the problem,… and solve it. So far, that isn’t being done. That’s my perspective.