March 8, 2008

Boston Globe-Short Fuse

When the Massachusetts Highway Department ordered the removal of homemade signs from highway overpasses last year, veterans groups revolted - no surprise, for the most conspicuous signs are the banners welcoming military personnel home. So this week, state officials unveiled an alternative that will satisfy no one: 4-foot-by-8-foot signs that say, "Welcome Home Troops! Thank You For Your Service!" MassHighway fears that banners made of bedsheets are a safety hazard. Road crews have found some that have fallen to the ground, in whole or in pieces, and spotted others with three of their four corners flapping in the wind. But a patently generic welcome message surely won't keep long-suffering military families from putting up new banners. Nor should it.

Lawyers