Kerry calls Edwards, post-debate, form his hotel room in Englewood, Colorado, October 5, 2004.
Posted on 10/06/2004 5:37:05 PM PDT by jmstein7
IT'S TIME TO ACT [10/06 03:38 PM]
Kerry calls Edwards, post-debate, form his hotel room in Englewood, Colorado, October 5, 2004. |
My friends, it is time for a vital message.
Yesterday we read about some disturbing cases of political violence related to the election. Now we turn our attention to a less directly threatening, but still disturbing trend in American politics.
Every election cycle, there are always reports of campaign workers stealing or defacing signs. Usually it's an overzealous campaign volunteer, or a drunk, or some activist with more anger than brains or knowledge of trespassing laws and respect for others' property. Or all simultaneously.
But something seriously disturbing is going on this year. There's been an exponential number of reports of signs not just stolen, but burned, defaced with swastikas, and torn down by pistol-packing angry teenagers. (An anti-Bush gun-control supporter, perhaps?)
The political season has turned ugly in Howard County, with an Ellicott City homeowner reporting a late-night fire that burned two Republican campaign signs in his back yard.
In addition, local Republicans say scores of other campaign signs have been destroyed or vandalized in the past couple of weeks, most of them along major highways.
"It's absolutely outrageous," said Howard Rensin, chairman of the county Republican party. He said about $1,500 worth of GOP signs have been destroyed.
"We're talking about dozens and dozens and dozens of signs. We think we may be looking at a concerted effort here," Rensin said. "If people want to express their political views, they ought to do so at the polls." ...
Over the weekend, county police conducted a surveillance operation prompted by the spate of sign destruction. On Sept. 25, police spotted a man on Route 40 cutting down with a power tool a sign urging voters to re-elect President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney.
Police arrested Corey Robert Cooke, 33, of Ellicott City and charged him with destruction of property.
Pfc. Dave Proulx, a county police spokesman, said Cooke has not been charged in any of the other incidents.
The most dramatic incident so far involved the burning of the 4-foot-by-8-foot Bush-Cheney sign and a smaller sign endorsing U.S. Senate candidate E. J. Pipkin in Ellicott City.
James McQuarrie said he awoke shortly after 1 A.M. Sept. 25 and saw a fire burning in the yard of his home in the 10100 block of Old Frederick Road.
"I saw a big flame outside my window," McQuarrie said. He rushed to fight the fire with a hose, then county firefighters arrived to help. The fire also burned part of his yard fence and a nearby pile of wood, McQuarrie said.
Another case in the same neck of the woods:
Howard County's spate of political sign destruction led to the arrest late Friday of a Randallstown couple accused of using a bayonet to cut the centers out of two Bush/Cheney campaign signs on U.S. 40 near Ridge Road in Ellicott City, according to court files and county police.
Peter Lizon, 30, and his wife, Stephanie Louise Lizon, 34, of the first block of Valdivia Court, were each charged with destruction of private property. Peter Lizon faces weapons charges. He is free on $3,500 bail and Stephanie Lizon on $3,000 bail.
"We did it."
Three Duluth teenagers walked into the Duluth News Tribune on Wednesday afternoon, opening with these three words. The boys said they were responsible for vandalizing Bush campaign signs and painting a swastika and the word "Nazi" at a London Road residence last weekend.
An hour later, the three boys traveled to the Lakeside-Lester Park police station, where Sgt. Scott Campbell was waiting to talk to them.
The teenagers told the News Tribune they meant no harm to Bob James, the homeowner and Bush-Cheney supporter who erected the signs. They said they spray painted the signs and the swastika on James' sidewalk but had nothing to do with the vandalism of two of James' vehicles.
Friends and supporters of James and the Republican Party of Minnesota had offered a $2,000 reward for the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the vandalism.
While the teenagers were remorseful for what they did to James, they stood by their contempt for President Bush. They said they left a phone message for James on Wednesday and twice went to his house to apologize, but he wasn't home. They planned to try again later Wednesday.
"It was not an act of hate," said Dustin "Dusty" Dzuck, 17, a senior at Denfeld High School. "My mom called me a terrorist. It wasn't terrorism; it was activism. It was for a cause.... The whole thing is, basically, I just wanted to get the word out there that in my opinion Bush isn't doing this country any good."
Dzuck said his actions bothered him more when he learned James is an Army veteran.
Police said a Nashville teenager and his friends stole 71 Bush-Cheney yard signs because he was mad at President Bush for sending his brother to Iraq.
Andrew Thurman, 18, told police that he and 19-year-old Frederick Stevenson stole the signs from several west Nashville neighborhoods because his brother, a U.S. marine, was sent to Iraq.
"It's not unusual to see the isolated theft of campaign signs in local, state and federal elections," Nashville police spokesman Don Aaron said. "However, this is the first time I can recall that someone who admits responsibility for the theft has linked it to the war in Iraq."
Thurman, Stevenson and two other teens were riding in a Honda Accord when they were stopped by police. Officers searched the car and found the signs, along with three pistols.
Thurman and Stevenson were cited for misdemeanor charges of theft and unlawful weapon possession. The other teens, who were both minors, face only the weapon charge.
Officials say this presidential campaign has triggered more reports of stolen campaign signs than in previous elections.
The battle over political yard signs continued in Rapid City on Friday night, and the Republicans seemed to get the worst of it.
Signs supporting Republican candidates John Thune and Larry Diedrich were spray painted, stolen or destroyed up and down West Boulevard, as well as on several streets nearby. West Boulevard resident Ellen Drabek said Saturday that she lost two signs from her yard during the night.
"Mine weren't painted. Mine were stolen. And there were two large Thune signs up at St. Patrick Street that were broken up. All the rest of them were spray painted," Drabek said. "None of the Democratic signs were touched."
The vandalism and thefts occurred about two weeks after three Rapid City teenagers were caught after they were spotted in the act of stealing a large yard sign for Democrat Stephanie Herseth from a West Boulevard yard. Signs for Democrat Tom Daschle also had been taken.
There are also sporadic reports of Kerry signs being stolen or defaced. If you are a Bush supporter, and you tear down Kerry signs, you are among the lamest human beings on the planet.
But so far, the majority of these cases — and the ones involving the most disturbing details of bayonets, guns, fires, and swastikas — are targeting Bush-Cheney signs.
There is, of course, a way to fight this.
And, coincidentally, it just happens to involve the of the Kerry Spot.
Are those of us — left, right and center — going to let a bunch of bullies push us around? In our homes, front lawns, and neighborhoods?
I quote the football coach in the movie, Rudy: "No one, and I mean no one, comes into our house and pushes us around."
Or, if you prefer the University of Maryland, WE MUST PROTECT THIS HOUSE!
In this case, "this house" means our right to publicly support the candidate of our choice. If somebody stole your sign, they're trying to send you a message — that your voice shouldn't be heard, that their willingness to stroll onto your property break the law can trumps your First Amendment rights. Are you going to let those snot-nosed punks win?
If you have to only put your sign out while you're home, so be it. If you have to take it inside overnight, so be it. Better to make that little extra effort than to concede that their enthusiasm for vandalism can shut you up.
needs some advance time to get stuff sent to you. They got a slew of stuff to my Bush-supporting friends awfully fast, but we know they're going to get a rush of orders in the closing month of the election. And a sign for your candidate only does good before Election Day, obviously (unless it's for moral support during the recount, I suppose).
I know there are a bunch of you out there who don't usually put signs up. It's gauche. Wearing your heart on your sleeve. Kinda cheesy.
But this isn't a normal year. These aren't normal times. And a bunch of little twerps think they can help their guy win by stealing stuff and painting swastikas. On the property of a veteran. Guy spends years defending his country so some kid who can barely spell "Nazi," much less define "national socialism," can march onto his property and spray paint the symbol of those fascists?
Hands balling into fists yet? Jaw clenched? Getting in that Ben Grimm "It's clobberin' time" mood?
Go , or click on the ad at the top of the page. Bring the credit card or the checkbook. Buy as much stuff as you like.
And let's show the world what happens when these little sign-defacing reprobates mess with the wrong folks.
BTT!!!!!!
<< If this retoric by the left doesn't stop, this is going to be the least of our problems. I have had serious concerns for Cheney, even more than Bush. The left hates Cheney with a passion, I don't think their hatred of Bush approaches. For the life of me, I can't fathom the hatred for Cheney. The guy is a superbly qualified leader. >>
The [Froth-and-foam-flecked-liberal-psychosis-engined-self-loathing-driven] hatred becomes capable of explanation only when examined as the key part of the actions and activities it rationalizes and justifies in the morbidly-pathological "minds" of the millions of illiterate and incoherent bastard-offspring-of-the-Communist-Party-of-America-descended DNC/NEA-indoctrinated terrorists turned out these days from the Marxist/Leninist-Goebells-inspired gummint Hell holes we "conservative" innocents so simplistically and euphamistically refer to as "Public Schools."
That fevered brownshirt/brownshorts mindset is Pavlov's dog-incited to lizard-brain react to its own delusions of righteous indignation and to thereby rationalize and justify any means to any preprogammed end.
Every bit as awful in the lead up to this year's "election" is that all over America [And especially in California] hundreds of thousands of these kinds of ruthless any-means-to-an-end urban terrorists are furiously and fraudulently registering millions of "voters" -- in some precincts more than there are eligable adults -- and are block-filling-out even more millions of fraudulent absentee votes than those millions that in 2000 saw our Nation -- and the Civilization we vanguard and guard -- come within a hairs breadth of having its Presidential Office stolen [As it was in 1960 and again in 1992] by the manifestation of evil that had offered as its candidate one Al-Fredo Gore-leone: -- the world's most dangerous dullard.
#46? -- #102 BUMPping!
#89? #102 BUMPping!
<< State Republican Party Chairman Chris Vance called it a "Watergate-style break in," and said he suspects Democrats are behind it. >>
Check out Bill Moyes desk at PBS.
After all, in the LBJ loothouse, Moyes ran the least ethical plumbers' operation there ever was -- the one that inspired the far less efficacious Nixon-Administration bumblers -- and has been ever since using the public trough to finance his hidden-in-plain-sight Socialist-Internationalist insidious un-and-anti-American fasciSSocialist/DNC activisim.
And inspiring the ludicrous left's hordes of urban terrorists!
'any' being the operative word
you are so right - "ANY body but Bush." It's not "we support Kerry"
Pinging for spitballs!
Soros is a gleek plick
The swastica waas used by the Storm Troopers to terrify the population. When they went on their "little" night rages, they always left their calling card. there is nothing surprising abot the Dumb Dum youth doing the same thing. It's what they preach and practice.
If I lived in Memphis I would volunteer for a couple of nights a week to stay and video tape anything/anyone that attempts to remove/deface the HQ signs. Put them up now, and get some volunteers. Three or four,individuals a night should be enough witnesses. It's only until Nov. 3 so lets get busy.
NO one has commented on where Dustin got this bunk drilled into his head.
Lets try the school system and the NEA.
The DEMOCRAT PARTY had over 40 years of just about a monopoly of power in which to end poverty and fix all the problems in this country. . and still they moan and groan about how "bad" everything is and how the lights in Reagan's City on the Hill are "flickering" without them in complete and absolute control.
The only time a Democrat is happy is when things are like they were after Carter had four years - double digit unemployment and interest rates, a hostage crisis in Iran that Carter had no clue how to deal with, gasoline prices that make today's look cheap, demoralization of our citizenry with Carter's charges that the problems were our fault brought on by our own "malaise" . . . . so, we got rid of our Christmas lights and wore our coats indoors because we felt guilty that we were so selfish . . .
Fast forward to the Reagan economic boom, ending in Clinton riding it like a wave for eight years and leaving us vulnerable to terrorists with his infernal toodling with women in puerile sexual pursuits and cynical quest for campaign money in exchange for our weapons technology . . to four years with a Republican administration still hobbled with too much Democrat control and a Clinton fueled 9/11 attack, but still able to get things on track with tax cuts and President Bush working instead of exploiting his office interns . .
What the Democrats advocate is MORE OF THE SAME. Not just 40 years, but FOREVER to FIX things in the way that only they can fix them.
bump
BUMP
The MSM is desperate to start painting Republicans and conservatives with this label. Charlie Gibson, on GMA Tuesday morning, accused Ann Coulter and "right wing radio" of being the "uncivil" ones.
Charlie is moderating one of the presidential debates, too.
Carter was still president in 1980. I hope this event isn't seared - seared! - into your memory. :-)
Have you sent a press release to all your media? Including a challenge for the reporters to address the "double standard" in their report.
Just imagine if it was an attack on a protected minority, the press would be al over it!
Intimidation of political speech SHOULD be news.
If they engage in rioting and insurrection after the election, we put it down with Operation Vulture. Yob' tvoyu maht', tovarisch!
Excellent point! Very useful for letters to editors and calls to talk shows. The KKK are known to history for their deeds of 'vandalism' and 'harassment' and 'terrorism,' and because KKK members are losers!
So are these low IQ vandals. However, they are being stirred up by the spokesmen for the Dem candidates, and it should be brought to light.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
