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.
Seriously, I'm surprised there hasn't yet been a drive-by shooting incident into a home or a car displaying a Bush/Cheney sign. If these thugs don't get a grip, and if some Democrat doesn't stand up to challenge the incivility on the left, this could turn into a shooting war within four years, particularly if Hillary makes a run for pres. in 2008. Her political fortunes depend on keeping her supporters' emotionally revved up.
This NRO character needs a reality check.
Criminal damage to property (Madison, WI--where some goonies burned a swastika into a lawn which had Bush signs) or trespass/intimidation (the West Allis incident) are not to be taken lightly. Nor are shootings, such as in West Virginia.
Fortunately, my property has an armed guard (me.) Discharging a couple of 9mm rounds into the ground should be sufficient warning, I hope.
Red
Astute observation. Remember Janet Reno?
Red
Good stuff, eh?
These punks are predators and the perfect calling for these kinds of sprinklers!
This is all a direct result of all the 'hate Bush' rhetoric.
Hitler, Stalin, and Hildebeeste share a belief in Statism.
THAT'S the link--not 'communism,' or 'socialism.' Those are merely the economic systems.
The core is Statism.
In Milwaukee, it was Electricians' Union goons.
Yeah.These punks should not be allowed to get away unscathed.An ad should be aired (TV,radio or print)that spotlights this kind of stuff.Hey, it worked for the Swifties...Why not?
My brother & I were discussing this the other day. I told him if it were me i'd run some low-voltage electricity to the metal sign rails,and energize it at night.First punk that grabbed it would get zapped-not bad enough to seriously injure, but only to deter.
Ah...correction...yeah...I must have meant January of 1981... Christmas 1980 I was in Cambodia with Martin Sheen still working on that wild Colonel Kurtz Special Forces Operation...[wink]...
Point well taken...But I don't know how much self-control I could muster at the sight of someone on my lawn defacing my property. I certainly wouldn't shoot them, but i'd be awfully hard-pressed not to beat the snot outta them.
Oh, baby...you're my kind of guy! I agree with you 100%.(In a previous post, I said I wouldn't shoot.Wellllllll....Now,i'm not so sure!Depends,I guess...)
In my last post, I said that I did not think that there was as yet evidence that the widepread violence and disruptor activity against Bush supporters was coordinated, specifically by Soros and his minions. However, there is one case in which it is known Soros himself played a DIRTY TRICK this week!!!! It may have been on FR before, for all I know, but I saw it on other sources.
In any case, this shows just how UNDERHANDED and SNEAKY Soros really is, and deserves wide circulation. So please, MistyCA, put this out on your ping! list:
______________
http://www.mosnews.com/news/2004/10/06/lentacheney.shtml
Lenta.Ru: Dick Cheney’s Blunder Used by George Soros and Cayman Cybersquatters
Created: 06.10.2004 14:03 MSK (GMT +3), Updated: 15:40 MSK
MosNews
Millionaire philanthropist George Soros, who has been a harsh critic of U.S. President George Bush, hastily responded to what turned out to be an error made by U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney, the Moscow-based online news agency Lenta.Ru reported on Wednesday.
After Cheney mistakenly referred to the web-site he named factcheck.com (instead of factcheck.org) for explanations on the sensible Halliburton case, the web-site was rented from an independent cyber-squatting company and materials promoting Soros’s views were placed on it.
In response to a series of attacks from John Edwards on Cheney’s tenure as CEO of Halliburton, the vice president said that Kerry and Edwards “know the charges are false. They know that if you go, for example, to factcheck.com, an independent Web site sponsored by the University of Pennsylvania, you can get the specific details with respect to Halliburton.”
However, Cheney misspoke. He meant to say “factcheck.org.,” rather than “.com.” George Soros capitalized on Cheney’s error, snatched up the URL, and now if you type “factcheck.com” into your browser, you get redirected to a page titled, “Why we must not re-elect President Bush: a personal message from George Soros.”
Immediately after Cheney’s erroneous statement, Soros’s spin doctors rented the factcheck.com web-site from the Domain Name Sales Corp. registered on the Cayman Islands and redirected all visitors to the already existing web-site www.georgesoros.com. The price paid for the name was not disclosed.
After the debate, Bush campaign communications director Nicole Devenish repeated Cheney’s statement and corrected the mistake, directing the readers to factcheck.org for the details.
Shucks! Even apparently catching Soros red-handed in a "dirty trick" has been wattered down as evidence by the enemy! See the following (whether you believe the sleazy Cayman Islands cybersquatter or not--I don't):
__________
http://www.mosnews.com/news/2004/10/07/soros.shtml
Cybersquatters Say Soros Redirect Was Act of Goodwill, Not Commerce
Created: 07.10.2004 11:57 MSK (GMT +3), Updated: 14:33 MSK
MosNews
The company that bought the domain name factcheck.com and redirected browsers to the site of financier George Soros after U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney mistakenly referred his listeners to the site, as Lenta.ru reported earlier, is in no way affiliated with George Soros.
According to a statement MosNews received from the Cayman Islands-based cyber-squatter Name Domain Sales, Factcheck.com was registered quite some time ago by Name Administration Inc.
Responding to charges of his tenure at Halliburton, Cheney mistakenly referred to the web-site he named factcheck.com (instead of factcheck.org) for explanations on the Halliburton case. In what Domain Name Sales called a purely voluntary gesture, Name Administration redirected viewers of factcheck.com (the domain, to which VP Cheney erroneously pointed) to georgesoros.com.
“The staff at Name Administration have been through some difficult times lately, due to the impact of hurricane Ivan on Grand Cayman, and they were delighted to have been given this opportunity by Vice President Cheney,” the statement said.
Domain Name Sales informed MosNews that Name Administration Inc. received “no payment, inducement, or any communication from George Soros or any political organization for re-directing the domain name.”
Name some, will you, please?
ff
LOL!
I'll have to look for the title. But it has been discussed several times on Rush and Hannity.
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