The trouble, some say, is that the image of a uniform, first with a noose at the neck and later without, strikes such a visceral chord that it can only degenerate into ugliness.

"If what they want to do is open an effective dialogue, this won't achieve it," said George Lakoff, a University of California, Berkeley, linguistics professor. "I suspect it merely inflames."

Lakoff's well-known book, "Don't Think of an Elephant," outlines the conflicts between what he describes as progressive and conservative thinking, arguing that conservatives have taken over the national dialogue.

If he could speak directly to the couple who posted the sign, who divide their time between homes in Land Park and Berkeley, Lakoff would tell them, "This is counterproductive."

It makes a crucial point, though, said one of the pair, Stephen Pearcy.

"It's a message of dissent over the war in Iraq. ... The soldiers are being left out to hang" under misguided American policy paid for with U.S. tax dollars, he said.

"We are decent people. We do have reasonable views," said his wife, Virginia Pearcy.

The Pearcys, both attorneys, have placed uniform displays outside their home twice -- and twice they were torn down, most recently on Monday. Stephen Pearcy said they'll keep on mounting displays to provoke important discussion.

An anti-war protester who uses images of soldiers runs the risk of seeming to undermine their activities or threaten their safety, said Leonie Huddy, an associate professor of political science at Stony Brook University in New York.

Huddy, who has researched anger and anxiety as drivers of political action, said those who identify strongly with soldiers are likely to be especially disturbed by such images, reacting as if America's enemy has now moved within.

It's the spotted camouflage uniform, topped with a helmet. The noose that once went around its neck. The perception that this must be an effigy, a hated symbol, caught in the act of doing something vile, even though its creators deny intending that.

Not everyone agrees that the message is too incendiary.

UC Davis professor Clarence Walker, who sometimes uses images of effigies when he teaches America's history, believes it's not just the image but U.S. ambivalence about war that is being tapped.

No sign alone could have delivered that message as forcefully as the empty uniform, Walker said.

"It's not holding the soldiers up to hate or ridicule. It's pointing out that the soldiers are being misused," he said. "They've really brought this thing home."

Still, Deborah Johns of Roseville, co-founder of Marine Moms and Military Families, has asked police to investigate the Pearcy display as a hate crime.

"My son wears that uniform every day. It's an insult to hang it up like that."

Johns said she has never heard an anti-war message that strikes her as truly respectful and kind.

All she wants is to have someone say they respect what her son believes in and is trying to do -- before they tell her they're against the war, or even against all wars and all military forces.

A search for respect and common values is very much what linguist Lakoff counsels.

"Responsibility, empathy, being protective of people who need protection, being fair" are among the values that can help form a common ground for many far apart on the political spectrum, he said.

So far, though, little common ground has been established over the Land Park display.

The Sacramento County District Attorney's Office is reviewing the hate crime allegation and expects to have a decision in a few days.

A man identified by police as Bryan Mathew O'Malley went to authorities with his lawyer Monday to discuss last week's removal of the Pearcys' display, and his name will be forwarded to prosecutors with a vandalism report, said Sacramento Police Sgt. Justin Risley. Police are looking into the second removal.

A Sacramento-based group called Move America Forward, which describes itself as a national movement to support U.S. troops, has called for a candlelight vigil outside the home in the 2700 block of Marty Way at 7 p.m. today to send its own message of dismay. "We believe this family has the right to free speech ... but speaking freely does not mean all sentiments should be warmly embraced," said Siobhan Guiney, executive director.

The Pearcys say they'll be there and hope their friends and allies will be, too.

And Mark Williams, a Sacramento talk radio host whose "Night Talk Live" show airs on KFBK (1530 AM), is offering a $100 reward for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the vandals -- while still deploring what he considers an attack on America's military, perpetrated by those who hate America.