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.
Knock wood, so far my yard sign (in Howard County, MD) hasn't been touched. Down Rte. 95 in Montgomery County, the local GOP is making folks PAY for signs and won't even place a sign at a dentist's house who lives near my parents (on busy University Blvd. in Silver Spring).
No problem here in Alaska, but I agree the best way to fight this is to buy thousands of Bush/Cheney signs and put them everywhere. Put them on the inside of your front windows if your yard isn't secure. Go get 'em folks. Let the big dawg hunt!
If you click on the NRO link at the top of the page you can purchase signs and things for your own use. I think the idea here is that we don't want the thugs who are defacing our property, taking our signs, storming our headquarters offices, etc, to get the idea that they will stiffle our speech.
In Dane County, Wisconsin, someone was burning 8 ft. swastikas into the lawns of those who had Bush signs up.
Can you imagine a crossbow competition with freepers?
(We'd all be too busy joking about 'stuned', 'beebers', and 'unnngh..' to compete..)
oh... *blush* well that is a relly good idea too! ( Duh to me) Thanks! :]
All's well in my end of the world. Gettin' fatter and fatter, LOL!
Thanks for the ping and take good care of yourself, hear?
With spitballs????? LOLOL!
;)
"I would certainly support Cheney if he ran"
Me too, any chance he'll run, win, and resign immediately?
I've heard about Jeb Bush about 8324 too many times already.
I'm sure all the IslamoNazies say pretty much the same thing. I know the scrotes who took over the Russian school thought that was "for a cause" as well.
Throw the little SOBs in the cooler.
And he has the persona of "everybody's Grandpa". Doesn't' matter to the party of Hate.
Angry Kerry Activists Lay Siege to Bush Office in St. Paul, Intimidate Voters
http://www.mngop.com/info.cfm?x=2&pname=seltype&pval=1&pname2=infoID&pval2=2533
ST. PAUL -- On the same day that someone fired shots into the windows at the Bush/Cheney campaign headquarters in Knoxville, Tennessee, angry Kerry supporters laid siege to the Bush headquarters in St. Paul Minnesota today.
"Today's siege on the Bush/Cheney headquarters in St. Paul was an attempt by Democrats and the Kerry campaign to intimidate voters who were picking up tickets to see the President," said Republican Party of Minnesota State Chair Ron Eibensteiner. "The Minnesota Kerry Campaign and DFL are ruled by an angry mob mentality that has nothing positive to offer Minnesota voters." Today Kerry supporters blocked the entrance to the Bush campaign's Minnesota headquarters with buses and proceeded to rush into the headquarters in a clear attempt to intimidate voters who were picking up tickets to see the President this Saturday.
Eibensteiner called on DFL Chair Mike Erlandson and Kerry's Minnesota campaign to immediately cease these kinds of intimidation tactics.
"Lately, the DFL Party and Kerry Campaign can be best described as Anger Incorporated," said Eibensteiner. "They need to stop their escalation of these intimidation tactics before someone gets hurt."
Eibensteiner pointed out other instances where out-of-control Kerry supporters have intimidated voters. For example, at the Gophers football game last weekend, a Kerry supporter physically assaulted a female College Republican who was handing out flyers supporting the President. In a similar incident, Kerry supporters assaulted College Republicans at the Minnesota State Fair. During the incident, the union members elbowed two College Republicans in the head and threw them to the ground.
Also, DFL Party officials have yet to repudiate a bumper sticker, which was handed out from their party headquarters comparing President Bush to Adolf Hitler.
"Anger is no substitute for optimistic leadership," said Eibensteiner. "Through their actions, Democrats have shown themselves incapable of governing themselves, much less our nation, during these challenging times."
That won't stop it. Turning the other cheek, which is what just replacing what they damage so that they can come back the next night and damage that, hardly ever does. Shooting the bastards will at least get their attention. Don't go looking for them, but if you live in a state such as Texas that protects your right to protect yourself and your property, let 'em have it the minute they touch your stuff. If they merely trespass, you probably ought to give them one verbal warning to move it
Youth is given to strong, even violent, emotions. They grow out of it. I did. Contemporary rhetoric is very strong. They are scared.
Sometimes when I get discouraged I go back to what they were saying when the country was being founded. It was really ugly. The rhetoric was just awful.
After the end of the cold war we thought, "well, it will be really easy from here." We were wrong. A whole new battle is now emerging. I wish it weren't so, but it is.
You are clearly much younger than me, and will face this battle long after I am gone. Sorry, I wish it were otherwise. But until I die, I will support you, then it will become your charge.
The battle for freedom never ends. It shifts and moves and goes in places not expected. Today it is my responsibility, tomorrow it is yours, but we are all on the same side.
Polish your skills, write your tush off. You have no idea how much good you can do writing as you do. And then, God willing, (and God ain't too happy with me) it will all be alright in the end. Most of all, don't forget to live for yourself, live your life. Be happy as you can, and if the bomb goes off, be glad you did the best with your life you could.
Ain't no more, hon.
The brown shirts are in full swing this election season.
Think BIG signs on long posts, sticking up above the fence, if there is a fence, such that they'd be visible from the street. Especially useful if your house backs up to a major street. In parts of Plano, (Texas) the houses back up to the parkways, with a paved "alley" between the individual homeowners fence and the fence that attempts to isolate the neighborhood from the traffic on the parkway.
Of course their are. The Constitution authorises the use of the Militia (and the National Guard is a Part of the militia when not wearing their federal reserve hats) to "to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections and repel Invasions;"
State constitutions generally give the the governor similiar powers to call out the state's militia.
That's probably the safest solution from a criminal liability point of view, as long as the fence charger is of the type that limits the current to a less than lethal dose. Of course if you are home, you could just have a sensor that alerted you to the sign being stolen, then you can take whatever defensive of property measures "allowed" by your state.
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