First I would like to say that I support Maria Horvath and John Stout. They have every right to post a sign outside their gallery window, as long as it does not involve racist, sexist, or religious bigotry. As "distasteful" and "unacceptable" as some people say the sign is, they have no right to violate the gallery owners' First Amendment right, which leads me to my second point.
This sign was obviously posted not only to state America's dependence on oil, but to also commemorate John's son, and all those who have died in the war on terrorism. Though John's son died of cancer, it may have been a result of the oil exposure, as John said in the article. I just don't see how people can insult his sign when they probably have never lost a direct member of their family to the war. Until someone has lost a member of their family to the war and knows exactly how John and his wife feel, I think they should not scrutinize him.
As for the issue concerning that the sign will reflect poorly on the business area, let's ask ourselves: What is right next to downtown Willmar? Why, the railroad tracks, of course. Seeing people bicker over a sign, which in my opinion does not contain anything vulgar, and not over the graffiti covering the train cars is a really sad sight.
Finally, as parents concerned with protecting their children from seeing or hearing about words or phrases such as "piss", a word of advice. You can't keep your children in a plastic bubble all their lives. By the time they are old enough to even read the sign, they will probably understand the message trying to be conveyed. What I mean is, children are exposed to far worse things in school and in the community than you may realize. It's inevitable that they will hear and talk about things with their friends that you may not approve of.
Maxwell Minor
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Benson
