New Story; New Sign
Doug Moe: Anti-Bush sign a theft victim
By Doug Moe
May 18, 2004
THIS TIME, it wasn't the city of Madison making Tom Link take down his sign.
Actually, this time around, no one made Link take down his 34-square-foot sign with the unambiguous slogan "BUSH LIES." Thursday night, it was stolen.
"It had to be somebody with a pretty good extension ladder," Link was saying Monday. And more than likely somebody with a more favorable view of President George W. Bush.
Back in February, Link had hung his sign on the Bellevue Apartments, a building he owns on East Wilson Street.
The sign was actually Link's second attempt at political commentary by sign. Last year, he put up a banner with the phrase "No Bush Wars" on the Bellevue. That one hadn't been up long before Link got a letter from city of Madison officials saying he was in violation of code and threatening him with a $500-a-day fine. The code states that such a sign can be no more than 15 feet off the ground and no more than 32 square feet.
Link and his attorney entered into negotiations with the city - and the sign stayed up 56 days - but eventually Link took it down and paid a fine of $126.
His new sign conformed to the code - well, close enough - but now it is gone. Link has no suspects and says that other than one anonymous letter, all reaction to the sign had been positive. I asked if he was going to replace it, and if so, what would the new sign say?
"Oh, I'll replace it," Link said. "I was hoping you could give me an idea."
I need only remind Link of the departed and still-mourned "Sloganator," the brainchild of the Bush-Cheney campaign that allowed visitors to the campaign Web site to print out a campaign poster that said Bush-Cheney '04, with room above for you to create your own slogan. Visitors to a slightly less reverent site, wonkette.com, gleefully reported printing out dozens of posters like: "Read My Lips. No New Jobs: Bush-Cheney '04" and "Putting the Fun Back Into Fundamentalism: Bush-Cheney '04."
While the Bush campaign soon dismantled the Sloganator, the slogans live on. Might not one work on a sign? ...
http://www.madison.com/captimes/news/moe2/74512.php