Western Loudoun was and still is mostly a garden of delight. And other sections of the County have their special and distinctive charms.

I can’t say from observation what’s going on in the East but I suspect it’s about the same, as I’ve been told it is, especially along Sterling Boulevard.

In the West, I can tell you, the rolling green fields and three board horse fences are punctuated, awfully close to the road, with offensively large, in-your-face, self-adoring, political signs, at many turns in our local highways and dirt roads, the letters as tall as a small child, and thick in their indecent calligraphic display.

These monster signs have been posted by Republican pols who, for the most part, are characteristically comfortable with any development, almost no matter how it compromises or may ultimately destroy our marvelous countryside.

These signs are “the medium” for their “message.” (This is a nodding adaptation of Marshall McLuhan’s oft-quoted sentiment that – the “medium is the message.”

If President Reagan had a bipartisan sense of humor, he might say, “Take down those signs.”

As an old hand at this political business, I know that pols believe that 85% of a vote in an election is name recognition. So these signs don’t say anything but the candidate’s name and office.

I strongly suggest that you note the names on these signs and recoil from pulling the lever on any one of them – if you find their postings in as off-puttingly bad taste as I do.

We judge character by a person’s actions – and publishing these obnoxious larger than life, narcissistic nudges to our memory lobes, and leaving these monster signs out there as a persistent eyesore for months before the election, squatting on the good taste of the community, plainly suggests that these wannabe electables, view any objection to their signs, like Rhett Butler might in “Gone with the Wind” – “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn!”

Those hosting the signs no doubt make the lame protest – we can do what we want with our property, or with the consent of the property owner. Well, there really are some things one should not do. And maybe there should be a law about this – if the current freedom comes unrestrained by responsibility.

You know you can get permits to put up these signs. That’s a policy of dubious value. Of course, many of these 4 and 5 foot squares proliferating throughout the County are not actually authorized by permit. Not that you’ll see any enforcement against the offending scofflaws, and the taking down of any of these signs.

My main point is that the existence and placement of these signs shows us what these candidates really think of us – that they must SHOUT at us – akin to the disrespectful e-mail equivalent of writing in CAPS.

Maybe the candidates are concerned that near-sighted drivers won’t see their signs – somewhat fatuous – especially when most near sighted folk wear corrective lenses.

The real reason is they’re afraid we’ll miss their sign – and so their intent is to distract us from driving – hey, see my name over here – writ large – not a good thing for them to admit – though it’s true.

Most of us these self-adulatory proud boards, a visual pollutant by any fair standard, prove that these wannabe officials do not treasure our countryside and their manner of expression is comfortable with demeaning the voters.

What to do? Tell these wannabe officials – TAKE DOWN THOSE SIGNS! And watch to see what they do – or fail to do. Then vote accordingly.