things to do with ron paul signs left by the side of the road

More from the ubiquitous series: things to do with ron paul signs left by the side of the road

You've seen them everywhere--Ron Paul signs. One has to give Mr. Paul credit, he either had the largest sign budget of all the candidates or his supporters really love to use a stencil. One of most reproduced was a reworked image from a Crirque de Soleil logo for a Beatles tribute -- The Ron Paul Revo(Evo)lution. Unfortunate for Mr. Paul, once they moved past the medium, they arrived at the message.

But what happens to those signs after the primary, after the caucus, after Ron Paul has conceeded defeat?

Apparently, Ron Paul supporters have a lot more energy for making signs, than retrieving them. Plus they like to plant them in public spaces, which technically is against the law, but something easily overlooked in the fervor of a campaign. But there comes a time when the sign clutter gets a little out of hand and as one who works on litter clean-ups, there's enough trash, without political trash, laying around the planet.

So what to do?

One option is to make more signs! Of rival political candidates who are still in the race. Belief Change was made from a recycled Ron Paul Revolution sign, found in one of our public parks a month after the primary. It seemed appropriate to use this sign to mark another revolution of sort trying to make it's way across the country. For this sign, Obama's features have been blended with a youthful Muhammad Ali, because in many cases America seems to have a similar response to the two.

Back in the early 60's, when Ali, then known as Cassius Clay, was winning the Olympic Gold Medal as an American, and strutting around ring waving a tiny US flag, he became an instant hero. Not just at home, but around the world. Ali practically invented the wordy, self-hype that today has become the staple of athletes and politics everywhere. But when Clay, converted to Islam and changed his name to Muhammad Ali, doubts began to spring up, especially when Ali decided it was in his, and the country's best interest, not to enter the army while thousands of brothers were being served up in Vietnam for an unjust, unwinnable war.

Ali, the black man with a voice and not afraid to use it, became the anti-Elvis for many people. Elvis, if you remember, served in the Army with all the panache of one of his B-movies, and it was while stationed in Germany that he met Priscilla and the rest, one might say, "is Vegas".

Ali, was stripped of his heavy-weight crown, remained famous, and eventually was able to mount a successful comeback once America came to it's senses about Vietam. But his vocal stylings took a toll on his career. By some accounts Ali is the most recognizable person in the world today, but his tendency to speak his mind, and to confront the politics of race, exposed the open wound of racism that is still evident in America. Just ask Hillary Clinton, John McCain, right-wing talk radio hosts, and perhaps your father.

In some ways, the Obama ascendancy has followed a similar arc - at least on the rise. People love to believe, but they don't necessary want to change. Change is a lot more difficult to effect, than belief, although one follows from the other. If Obama does succeed in winning the nomination and then the general election, he will become the most recognizable person on the planet.

Belief Change, acrylic and duct tape on found political sign, 31' x 39', 2008, m.o.i.

elsewhere:
moi: the caucus badge

ron paul liberty poster
i support ron paul poster
nytimes, ron paul graphics revolution