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Keep it classy, Montrose ...
In the movie "Anchorman," Will Ferrell's buffoonish Ron Burgundy had a one-liner to wrap up the evening newscast: "You stay classy, San Diego." It's good advice. And not just for San Diego. This brings me to a little something simmering in Montrose. And it's none too classy. I'd categorize it as a bit tacky. Nay, trashy. First though, a quick, cursory side trek down First Amendment Lane. The freedom of speech is, of course and obviously, a fundamental and foundational right in this country. People are allowed to express pretty much any viewpoint and that expression is a protected right. Now, back to Montrose, specifically, to one of the entryways into the community. As one approaches Montrose on Highway 50, they enjoy a horizon view of mountain and sky. Then they reach the first stop light, just shy of downtown, and hopefully do not look to their right.  For quite some time now an individual has taken to displaying a collection of banners on a gate. The banners are political in nature, but that's irrelevant — the problem here is that these particular banners represent a brand of ignorant, mean-spiritedness that we probably rather not be greeting folks as they drive into town. I think the first banner to appear was the one that reads 'JOE & THE HOE GOTTA GO.' I remember starting to see this one make the rounds around the same time that 'F-Joe Biden' was albeit cleverly morphed into 'Let's Go, Brandon.' Clever, but definitely not classy. It does check a lot of offensive boxes though. With one misspelled word it's both racist and misogynistic. The rhyming is just a bonus. Next appeared the 'EVEN MY DOG HATES JOE BIDEN.' This actually could be considered classic, good-natured, political trash talking. Let's not spend too much time on this one. And then we have the new addition: 'WELCOME TO THE SHITSHOW.' This is now what we have welcoming people as they enter the community of Montrose. Welcome to it, indeed. So, back to the freedom of speech. The individual displaying this signage at the entry point of town has every right to do so (I'm making an assumption it's being done on their own property or with the property owner's permission). But, the fact that they are choosing to do this is just really, really unfortunate. It reflects poorly on them, and because of its location, it kinda reflects poorly on the community. Maybe if someone out there is friends with the individual displaying these banners, they could appeal to them — to paraphrase Ron Burgundy — keep it classy.
Have a Good One,
Jeremy Morrison,
managing editor
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