And how clever are we that we find ways to summarize our political views, preferred pets and sports teams on hats, t-shirts and bumper stickers.

These messages can range from," I love boys" to "F*** Off!." For those of you with young children, I sympathize. Somehow we have become a society that allows some pretty distasteful pictures and quotations to be publicly displayed. My daughters and I once saw a man in a fast food restaurant who was literally wearing a pornographic picture. It was appalling to say the least. So why is it that a naked person can be arrested for indecent exposure, but you can wear a picture of people copulating with no problem?

I remember when I was very little learning to read from bumper stickers. It was a game we played in the car on long road trips. Bumper stickers today are so much bolder than they were in the '70s. I remember reading things like, "have a nice day" with a little yellow happy face on it. Or, "Smokey Bear says don't play with matches."

You could see where people had been or what sport they played. Maybe it would tell a cute joke or say "Proud to be an American." But by today's standards ... anything goes. It's not that I don't agree that we should have the right of freedom of speech. I do agree with that, but where is America's common sense? Children are reading these things.

A good store keeper covers the porn magazines with a plain wrapper to shield it from the eyes of the innocent or people who would find it offensive. So why do we allow clothing with bad language or porn on it to be worn publicly?

As a parent I have to spend way too much time already shielding my children from unethical and raunchy messages on TV, on the radio and at the movies. In our house we don't wear t-shirts that are suggestive. We don't have pictures of stick people peeing on rival sports teams on the back of our car and I don't want to have to explain those things to my kids. Why can't people just say some thing nice? Instead of saying "I aim for cats" how about "I'm a dog lover?"

The other day I saw the bumper sticker of all bumper stickers. It said, "I'd rather be clubbing baby seals." Maybe I don't have the required sense of humor to appreciate whatever the "funny" is in this. I have a message to the person who sported this one. Whoever you are, I hope if there's such a thing as reincarnation, you come back as a baby seal.

I don't think you should base your opinions of people on just a first impression because anyone can flub a first impression.

For me, it's the last impression that that lingers. For those of you folks who choose to show me your message on your tailgate as a "last impression," thank you for sharing with me the fact that you'd prefer to be golfing or shopping. I'm glad you enjoy your sport or hobby and I appreciate reading something with a positive twist. But to the person that would rather be violently bashing in the head of a helpless baby seal and celebrating in the bloodbath, I don't think I want to know you.

And for the rest of you who choose to expose kids to porn, foul language and political bashing, have a brain. You shouldn't have the right to force my child to read or see foul language or pornography in public. Yes, I can turn off the TV or the radio. I can look the other way, but kids don't always have the sense to avert their eyes.

I don't want to restrict a person right to their freedoms of speech or of the free press. I just really wish people would think about what is appropriate publicly and what isn't. Maybe good guideline could be, "If you can't take it to a second grade class for show and tell, then please leave it at home or peel it off."

Lydia Eden-Irwin was raised in Gilroy. She has three children as part of a blended family. Her column is published each Wednesday. She can be reached at edenkid@aol.com.

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