Today I received a plea for donations from Feeding America. Included with it were free address stickers, which are always handy. The only problem is I already have dozens of them from various animal charities. I liked these new ones because they were easier to read than some of the tinier labels from the SPCA and others. But I knew I wouldn't use them and that annoyed me. I wouldn't because they were all very patriotic: The bald eagle, Liberty Bell, Statue of Liberty, the American flag and the Declaration of Independence. All admirable symbols. And all hijacked by the far right and used shamelessly and excessively to suggest that they are more patriotic than other Americans. I knew I wouldn't use any of these labels because I didn't want to be labelled as a jingoistic Republican. I may be overreacting, but now when I see a flag on a lawn or an "I Love America" bumper sticker, I always assume it's been put there by some gung-ho, war-loving, chauvinistic, gun-toting right-winger. Of course that can't always be the case, but that's what it feels like. So, yes, I'll send Feeding America a check, but, no, I won't use their labels. I'll stick to the saccharine, small-type peel-and-sticks with photos of kittens and puppies.
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