I believe that we should support our troops. These brave men and women are willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for our country. They fully deserve our gratitude.

But war should always be the last resort.

Many people in this nation, myself included, cannot in good conscience support the U.S. led invasion and occupation of Iraq. I think that the vast majority of the ribbons being displayed on cars implicitly condone the war. When I began to see the wave of ribbon magnets appearing, I decided that I would like to offer an alternative message. I designed the "Bring Them Home" magnet in the summer of 2004 to look similar to the original "Support Our Troops" magnets, and envisioned that some people would want to put the two side-by-side. The first "Bring Them Home" yellow ribbon car magnet sold online on September 8, 2004. In November of 2004, I decided to offer a second ribbon magnet, this time in blue and white, bearing the words "Support Peace."

Money was not the motivation for starting this enterprise, but if it does end up making a profit I will donate 25% of the net earnings to charities that support the promotion of peace or directly support troops who are serving in Iraq. I have not come to a decision about what are the most appropriate organizations, but I am considering these: the National Military Family Organization (http://www.nmfa.org/), Soldiers' Angels (http://www.soldiersangels.org/), Iraq War Veterans Organization (http://www.iraqwarveterans.org/), Veterans For Peace (http://www.veteransforpeace.org/), the Peace Abbey (http://www.peaceabbey.org/). (Note that these organizations do not necessarily agree with the opinions expressed here.)

April 24, 2006, follow-up on donations: I have made a tiny bit of profit, so I am contributing 25% to the five organizations mentioned above, with half being donated to the first three organizations who are directly supporting our soldiers and their families, and the other half going to the last two groups who are working for peace.

I welcome your comments and/or suggestions.

Erik Brisson

Please send questions or comments to: peaceribbons@number53.com