Chehalis, Washington: Right-Wing Uncle Sam Billboard

The Right-Wing Uncle Sam billboard is in the city of Chehalis (but everybody thinks it's in Centralia). I talked to the guys who run the Country Canopy & RV Center -- they rent from the Hamilton Family. Sam is on their land. Since this Sam is somewhat conservative in his beliefs, ahem -- he doesn't draw respect like the original Uncle Sam in Troy, NY -- this Sam's critics respond with debris, paintballs sometimes. Sam's days were assumed to be numbered when Alfred Hamilton died, but his son took over, cooking up more slogans to annoy Hilary Clinton.

You may be driving through a state where the politicians have rubbed elbows with Saddam Hussein, praised the non-existent accomplishments of Osama bin Laden to schoolchildren, and won elections with more votes than there are registered voters. But Chehalis' Uncle Sam will remind you he's keeping tabs on it all, right off the I-5.

[B OBrien, 12/05/2004]

I've been observing this "outsider art" masterpiece for years, on the land of a farmer, Hamilton. Sold his farm a few years ago but gave himself an easement so he could change the messages. It's designed to raise the hackles of those traveling between the lefty hotbeds of anywhere in Oregon and the Olympia-Tacoma-Seattle area. There is a crude illustration of Uncle Sam on both sides and room for letters like on any theatre marquee or muffler shop signboard --messages of a far-right-wing bent.