Bumper Stickers and 'God Bless Us All'

Barb Klawiter of Midway, Iowa (actually rural Toddville) had a message to tell the world. So, she had it painted on the back of her Buick SUV.

"God Bless Us All ... Everyone" reads the large white script on the back of her Buick Rendezvous.

While at first glance this sounds like what Tiny Tim said in Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol," Barb actually added "All" to the original quote to emphasize her meaning. (See today's Ramblin' column in The Gazette.)

While bumper stickers that read "God Bless America" and "God Bless the Troops" are fine, they don't encompass everyone.

And that is Barb's point.

"It has to do with respect for all people," Barb says. "Everybody's God's people. It doesn't matter where you go to church. Sexual orientation. Color of your skin.

"God loves us all," she adds.

While she won't put a bumper sticker on her vehicle, Barb enjoys reading them as well as slogans on T-shirts.

"I will stop people to read it," she says. "I think people are trying to say something if they put it on themselves or their car."

We all have our favorite bumper stickers and T-shirt sayings. Maybe you'd like to tell me yours.

Of late, my favorite bumper sticker is "Hang Up and Drive." It's just too bad that people in front of you can't read it because they're the ones in your way, driving slowly or erratically as they talk, dial or text instead of paying attention to what's going on around them.

I think the best bumper stickers have to do with driving:

"Forget world peace. Visualize using your turn indicator."

"I drive the speed limit. If you don't like it, call a cop."

"My other car is a city bus."

"Don't follow me. I'm lost, too."

"I brake suddenly for tailgaters."

"I have good brakes. Do you have good insurance?"

"I'm retired. Go around me."

"You never really learn to swear until you learn to drive."

"Honk if you want to see my finger."

For a list of one Web sites top 100 bumper stickers,

click here and for another Web site with a huge list of bumper sticker/t-shirt sayings,

click here.