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 live in the Peoples Howard Kounty in Columbia ( a liberal's perfect community (no Republicans)) : the bleeding heart's aorta if you will.
My Bush-Chaney Signs were stolen in 2000 and REPLACED; I am sure that it will be NO different this year.
So much for the "diverse, utopian multicultured Columbia, MD" dream! FOUR MORE FOR W!!!!
Psssst! What is a trebuchet? And an orbalast? Do I want one???
Cheney represents capitalism to them, and they have been taught that capitalism is evil (represented by Haliburton). In their carefully manipulated education socialism and eventually communism is good, capitalism bad. I know I sound paranoid, but I have people in my family in the field of education and I know whereof I speak. It's been going on for years.
Not only will Kerry not protect us from Terrorists, he sends his people out to terrorize!
http://www.trebuchet.com/
http://members.iinet.net.au/~rmine/gctrebs.html
And I goofed, it was supposed to be arbalest
http://members.aol.com/dargolyt/TheForge/CROSSBOW.HTM
Yes, you likely would want one, just for fun.
And "Atlas Shrugged" thrown in for good measure.
Oh yes! I want one!!!! :)
BTTT for later read
I want more than one..
But in NY they likely are classed as a 'dangerous device'.
Waiting for DoJ to engage in civil rights prosecutions against leftist terrorists targeting Republican is like sitting outside & waiting for the sun to rise in WEST it ain't gonna happen in this lifetime or the first couple million years of the next one!
The DNC has been using the 2000 election & the Florida recounts the same way the Nazi's used the Reichstag fire in Germany for the last 4 years the possibility of serious violence on the part of Democrats agianst Republicans is very real & the leadership of the party is of the opinion that if you ignore them maybe they will just go away .
This is the mind set of the leaders of the jewish communities in Germany during the rise of the Nazi party& its Brownshirt goon squads & it is that same mind set that led to Kristalnacht!
I say when a Democrat tries to get violent, the Democrat goes to the hospital or to jail the words "I WAS IN FEAR OF LOSING MY LIFE " are our friend .
They should be used to explain to the police why the RAT party member is literally soaked in pepper spray or is lying on the ground with a sucking chest wound then & only then will the RAT's respect your right to have an opinion other than the one they demand you have.
.
BTTT!!!!!!
'Checkpoint' - HOW TO ASSASSINATE GEORGE BUSH
Checkpoint" - a fictional novel by Nicholson Baker is scheduled to hit the bookstands in August. 115 pages discussing the assassination of our beloved George Bush.
I have not read the book to critique the book so I am in no position to judge. Freedom of speech is what Americans are to die for. Perhaps a book review will be provided in August provided Mr. Bush is still around...
Yep.
"DemocRATS" -- in the vacant lots of whose psychotic "minds" flourishes only the noxious weed that is their lust for unearned and undeserved power -- need victims.
That's why they -- and none more cravenly, more obsessively, more blatantly and/or more persistently than their default "presidential" candidate -- and his fellow-girly-boy lapdog running mate, support our beloved FRaternal Republic's every enemy!
We will outgun these morons if push would really come to shove.
Soros is originally from Hungary, and is a naturalized US citizen. But he (in his own words) considers himself "stateless".
I (and others) are still looking for concrete proof that MoveOn, etc, are involved in multiple violent or threatening protests, and especially that the protests are coordinated. Once that is known, we are looking for an intensive effort by the good bloggers and protest warriors connected with FR to get the word out!!!!
The American people cannot stand for disruptor activities such as Soros organized in Serbia to elect a puppet "president". And after we stop this coup, the new Bush administration and all Americans need to radically re-evaluate out policies toward Serbia and toward Serbs in "international community"-occupied territories!!!
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
???? Huh???
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