So I saw a bumper sticker today reading, "War is Not the Answer." What struck me, however, was not the statement, nor even the feeling behind it, really, except when taken with the fact that the bumper sticker was not stuck to the bumper of the car, but rather, was obviously temporarily attached to the inside of the rear window.

Is the bearer's opinion, then, perhaps that a particular (presumably the impending) war is not the answer? The term "war" without a modifier of any kind connotes the concept of war, not any actual collection of skirmishes; indeed, the statement more than insinuates, in its lack of a defined question to which War is Not the Answer, the declarant's position against any war of any kind. So why the impermanence of taping the sticker to the rear window, instead of affixing it permanently to the bumper? Might war actually be the answer to some future, unforeseen question? It's the only reason I can think of to display such a sentiment without enough conviction behind it to actually peel off the backing and stick the sticker to the car.

Can such a strong sentiment really be taken seriously if it is displayed in such a clearly fleeting way?

Mou"sometimes I think serious things. See?"sie