Not long ago, I saw a billboard advertising Rolex watches. It made me wonder: does anyone decide to buy a Rolex watch because s/he sees a billboard advertisement?

I wonder the same thing about the yard signs advertising political candidates. They are more prevalent than mushrooms in this "battle ground" state the day before the election. Lots and lots of money has been spent on them. Do they sway any votes?

Maybe people put them out for presence -- because there are yard signs in favor of the other candidates.

(That's the reason why we have a Saturday advertisement on the church page of the Virginia Gazette. In seven-and-a-half years here, I have never talked with a visitor who worshiped at St. Stephen because of the Gazette ad. The website is where the action is. That's where newcomers and visitors check us out before they appear in our building. Indeed, the Gazette ad is never changed, so when we vary our schedule, or suspend Faith Formation classes for the summer, it is wrong! But I've never heard from anyone who's picked up on that. So -- why do we persist in paying for that weekly ad? It's because King of Glory has one! We have to maintain a presence.)

My favorite yards are the ones with multiple signs advertising every one of the candidates a particular political party is running. So, you see Obama, Warner and Day signs, right in a row. Or, you see McCain, Gilmore and Whitman signs, lined up side-by-side. Is that display persuasive? Or is the homeowner communicating: "I am a die-hard Democrat/Republican, and if my party nominated a gerbil, that's who I'd vote for"?

The other day I saw a yard with two signs. One was a McCain sign, and the other was a Warner sign. Remarkable. Someone who thinks independently!