Freedom Reins redux ...

Hey, remember this?

I thought it was just a sentiment, a hastily worded, ironically written sign that was all "Hooray for America!" You know, like a sign that says, "Honk if you support our troops," etc., written by someone who doesn't know the difference between "reins," "reigns" and "rains," or perhaps who thought that the lyric was "Let freedom reign" instead of "ring." Pro-troop sentiment is strong in the area where that sign is posted along the highway, and it's easy to confuse the difference between the three homophones*. And I thought it ironic, the wording of this particular sign, because on the one hand, you have "freedom," which connotes "freedom," and then on the other hand, you have "reins," which connotes "not freedom."

(* - Homophones: words that sound alike but have different meanings. Does not mean "mode of communication Jeff Gordon uses.")

Well. I'm an asshole.

The sign does not state, as I had figured, a "hooray for America and apple pie and baseball and expectant moms" sentiment that makes us feel all warm and fuzzy, spelled by someone who also likes to write the term "alot" and says that his day is "not going to bad."

Oh no. The sign is correct. (!)

Freedom Reins is a not-for-profit business; it is (get this) a "therapeutic riding center" whose mission is "to improve the bodies, minds and spirits of children and adults with disabilities through the use of horse therapy."

I'm an asshole. Holy crap, am I an asshole.

Anyway. Apologies to the proprietors of Freedom Reins Therapeutic Riding Center for making sport of your sign previously, and incidentally, I saw your new sign that replaced that old one. Very nice.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go pound myself about the head and torso with a rubber mallet.