By Lionel Beehner

As everyone knows, Americans don't wear their patriotism on their sleeves, but on the backs of their bumpers. Ever since the advent of the automobile, the bumper has been the de facto billboard for Americans to advertise everything from their political party to a number to call if you don't like their driving. This past year has been no different, although car owners have graduated from bumper stickers to ribbon-shaped magnets (which, unlike stickers, are easier to remove and reusable). On a recent trip upstate, every other car I saw featured a magnet with some form or another of the phrase "Freedom Isn't Free" or "Pray for Our Troops." Other popular magnets feature a ribbon of a specific color corresponding to a public cause, such as AIDS or cancer.

So with the "outpouring of generosity" in the wake of South Asia's tragedy, I half figured there had to be a tsunami magnet already made up and ready to ship. Turns out, there is. A few phone calls led me to Gaylyn Wilson, a Houston-based graphics designer. Wilson bought a batch of 250 custom-made magnets from Magnet America, a North Carolina-based company that's maybe the largest distributor of the ribbons. They read: "Supporting Tsunami Victims."

The ribbons are royal blue and "easy to read" with white outlines and white trimming. Wilson plans to sell them for five dollars apiece, with the proceeds benefiting such organizations as Mercy Ships and Texas' Ellington Air Force Base, which has been sending medical supplies to South Asia. She even had the magnets rush-ordered not only because the tragedy was so recent, but because people's attention spans are so brief.

Will Americans open up their wallets and buy the magnets? "We'll wait and see," said an unsure Wilson. Still, while any financial help for the victims in South Asia is no doubt needed, is the car bumper the appropriate venue for pledging one's support? After all, the backs of cars are where most folks go to brag, if not about their unwavering support for the troops, then about their honor-roll son or Ivy League alma mater. Does this mean every cause or crisis from now on will have a corresponding magnet (or color) associated with it?

A spokesperson for Magnet America would only say that they're working on making more tsunami-related ribbon magnets, but that individual causes require a custom order. Last summer, the company was selling 50,000 to 100,000 per month, the most popular, she added, being the ones associated with the Iraq War and 9/11. No surprise there. Next time you take a drive, keep an eye out for those royal-blue tsunami ribbons, and pray there's never a need for another shipment. In the meantime, where's my California mudslide magnet?