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.
I hope not. But if it is to happen, at least we can note that the Southern Confederates had many redeeming qualities, slavery notwithstanding. Today's left has no such quality.
One might find comfort in knowing that we've got most of 'em gathered up in bunches in larger cities. A couple of Sherman's marches up the two coasts would take care of the problem quickly. Heck, Detroit and L.A. might just burn their own cities in protest.
If large numbers of DemocRAT's signs were being stolen/burned/defaced/etc., you can bet the Lame-stream meadia would be all over the story.
But - as is typical, there is the long-standing double standard when it comes to Republicans. The thefts and vandalism is obviously just the free expression of the "freedom of speech", and thus should not be an issue.
...where Repub offices were shot up, broken into, and workers assaulted (broken arm, etc).
How come none of these guys are packing?!?!
Pajama bin Bloggin has spoken.
The LEFT is completely and appropriately represented by the swastika -
The Brownshirts are being trained as we discuss this - through the halls of hate in many public schools and colleges.
My sig states the TRUTH...
Some fellow reported on the "Howie Carr" radio show, seeing a Policeman in Derry, N.H. taking down Bush Cheney signs at a rotary.
I wonder how many Illegal aliens this cop has arrested?
Take me off your ping list.
LVM
Kerry's not the "average" leftist. After all, he owns, or doesn't, or does, or doesn't own a "Chineese Assault Rifle".
That picture perfectly illustrates how brainwashed and ignorant the leftist Democrat supporters really are - useful idiots (puppets). They were screaming about Bush wanting to steal their "overtime"?
Since when is GW taking away or cutting overtime? The plan is simply to give workers the option of taking/accumulating comp-time in place of overtime pay (already a standard practice in many workplaces). It in no way cuts or removes overtime pay. This issue has already been discussed here. But the left is too stupid to aknowledge the TRUTH... (Or are afraid the truth would eliminate the DemocRAT party from existance).
And it's a self-perpetuating cycle. It's a lot like the welfare system - get them it, it's hard to get them or future generations out. You know - the same welfare system that the left supports.
Yes, certain political groups are in a process of blending with one another agaisnt us. It might surprise many, but it's really been an ongoing development for some time.
Buchanan Blasts Neocons (Fever-swamp Pat shakin' the paleocon money tree)
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1235854/posts
There are even some apologisms for Hitler going on.
The new wave of mafia kids paying their dues. Mooney would be proud.
This political season's political vandalism (read, moderate terrorism) is hardly even, by party lines.
The large-scale violence among the backers of John Kerry represents a significant part of his coalition:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1237382/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1225840/posts
http://www.illinoisleader.com/news/newsview.asp?c=20016
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1237161/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1236523/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1236456/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1235838/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1232895/posts
...but the good guys must keep being good.
You just explained it, right there. The idea around which liberalism coheres is that NOTHING actually matters but PR. Right up there among the things that liberalism denigrates in favor of PR is the idea of excellence in management.Marx proclaimed that management would be done by "clerks" after the revolution. In the real world, clerks can't get things done, and clerks don't have vision to improve the way things are already being done.
But hey - everyone is equal, right? </sarcasm>
It was my understanding, as taught to me by my father, that as long as we have "No Trespassing" signs posted we have the right to act.
If not, I stand corrected. Of course I'd personally never just shoot anyone for being on my property. But my definition of "fear of harm" when it comes to liberal thugs is probably not as defined as the law! ;-)
They are potentially dangerous. Law enforcement and prosecutors should come down as hard as possible on the people committing these acts, no matter what their political orientation.
The Weimar Republic was disrupted and ultimately destroyed by the National Socialists (Nazis) using the same type of intimidation tactics on a much wider and more violent scale, and a few years later Hitler was in charge of the Third Reich. It's extremely unlikely that something on that order could happen here, but why allow it to even gain a toehold?
Political intimidation at any level can't be taken lightly. The violence over here may seem to be just a minor annoyance at this point, but mighty oaks from little acorns grow.
That little brat needs to be spanked.
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