[ChuckElias]

Originally posted by Mark Padgett

Not as good as the one we have here - "Don't Californicate Oregon."

It's probably just a matter of taste, but I disagree. Maybe just b/c I lived in NH. "Californicate" is kind of funny, in a "Red Hot Chili Peppers"-derivative kind of way. But the NH bumper sticker is a genuine, deeply felt, shared sentiment. Almost everybody in NH actually feels that way. They don't mind people coming to look; see the lakes, climb Mt. Washington, see the Man in the Mountain. But once you've looked, get the bleep out, b/c you'll only bleep it up. (The bleep starts with f, ends with k, and isn't "firetruck" )

Especially if you're from Massachusetts. If you're from Maine or Vermont, you're viewed with slightly less suspicion. My best friend still lives in NH. When I mention that we're kind of far apart now and maybe we could see each other more if he moved closer, like into Massachusetts, he almost gets angry at the suggestion. People in NH hate Massachusetts.

The bumper sticker isn't a cute little motto like "You've got a friend in Pennsylvania". It's a real philosophy. They should probably put it on a flag, like "Don't Tread on Me!" That's what I love about it so much.

Chuck