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.
Political stupidity is more appropriate, in reality liberals are just criminals no need to blame those around them or those who indoctrinated them. During WWII we didnt
feel the need to worry about the young German goons we chewed up with machine gun fire, fret over their teachers
back in Hamburg and Dresden no in fact we burned those toilets to the ground. My proposal is simple fight fire with fire, show up at the knife fight with a gun and extra magazines, stop refering to democrats as humans after all they refer to you as sub-human stop being a pin-cushion
there arent enough ATF agents or police officers to disarm the only real Americans left stop being "Girlie-men" start kicking leftist butt!
Leftists are enemies of freedom. They leave a trail of blood wherever they go.
If he does run, and I wouldn't mind at all. I think it's very important who his running mate is. Cheney's health is of some concern to me.
I know some will challenge me on this, but I believe Dick Cheney could be another Ronald Reagan. I don't agree with his views on state's rights with concern to gay marriage, but otherwise I think he's well grounded. Now I do say that with a big question-mark where his illegal immigration loyalties lie. If he's for it, count me out.
Dick Cheney has the ability to look into the camera and deliver just the words he wants you to hear, with just the proper inflections to drive his points home. He is the father/grandfather image that people can respect.
In my estimation, he could motivate the nation to go in the direction he wanted it to go. If he is the man I think he might be, morally, conservatively, he could be a fabulous leader.
Sadly, it is my thought that if I dug deep enough, I'd find that his true conservative credentials were lacking on areas of deep concern to me.
I hope that I am wrong, because his leadership capabilities are flawless IMO.
okey dokey, hobson! Pinging for spitballs!
Well .. I just don't seem to get a sense of Cheney wanting the highest office. He's been more than content over the years to just be an insider.
After he finishes serving the next 4 years, I think he'll be ready to retire and it's going to take somebody very, very strong to run against Hillary. There are a couple of good governors who might be interested in the job.
But .. like Rush keeps saying .. you have to have a burning in your heart for the Presidency in order to be willing to put up with all the garbage. I've never sensed that in Cheney .. but he's such a quiet and private man it might be hard to tell.
I would certainly support Cheney if he ran .. regardless of whether it fits into a perfect mold or not. I'm more interested in a person's character than if they are perfectly suited to all my issues.
And .. a lot may depend on how the WOT is going.
CW2 is imminent.
3 computers stolen from Bush's Bellevue campaign office
By David Postman and Ashley Bach
Seattle Times staff reporters
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BELLEVUE — Three computers loaded with confidential campaign plans were reported stolen early yesterday in a burglary at President Bush's Washington state campaign headquarters.
Someone threw a rock through a window of the campaign's office in a suburban business park, taking laptops belonging to key campaign workers from the desk of the Bush campaign's state director, Bellevue police and Republican Party officials said.
The Bush campaign and local Republican officials say they're convinced the break-in was politically motivated. They say it appeared to be a targeted burglary and was suspiciously similar to a break-in four years ago at Bush's Bellevue offices.
"Whoever did this was clearly looking for a body of information," said local Bush campaign spokeswoman Leah Yoon.
Police said their investigation was still in the early stages. But so far, said department spokeswoman Jessamyn Poling, "there's no indication that it was politically motivated."
State Republican Party Chairman Chris Vance called it a "Watergate-style break in," and said he suspects Democrats are behind it.
"If you're just some burglar looking for computers to sell to buy drugs, you take every laptop in the office, maybe," Vance said. "But they knew exactly whose computers to get."
He said Democratic Party Chairman Paul Berendt should issue a public call for the computers' return.
Berendt laughed off Vance's suspicions.
"I think Chris should double-check with the national Bush-Cheney campaign and the Republican National Committee to make sure they didn't move their computers out of the state in the middle of the night to ... one of those states where they're fighting a little more vigorously."
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Seaton said data on the computers were backed up and available elsewhere. But, he said, the loss creates a potential security breach.
"Obviously there's some stuff there we wouldn't want our opposition getting their hands on," Seaton said.
The campaign has spoken about the importance of its voter-identification and get-out-the-vote program, known as its 72-hour plan for the final three-day push to Election Day.
Bush campaign officials say it could make the difference in a close election if Republicans are able to make sure their voters get to a polling place on Election Day and don't sit home as many did four years ago.
The break-in happened sometime between 2 and 8 a.m., said Bellevue police spokeswoman Poling. A side window of the office on 112th Avenue Northeast was smashed.
"They may have intended on stealing one or two items or they may have intended on stealing everything in there and they were scared away before they could finish the job," Poling said.
She said police had no other reports of commercial-building burglaries last night, though she said break-ins are not uncommon in the downtown business area.
Four years ago, two pieces of office equipment were taken from Bush headquarters in the 700 block of 112th Avenue Northeast, a couple of blocks away from the campaign's current office, Poling said. No suspects were found. Vance said the computer of that year's campaign director was stolen.
This year's headquarters is a small, ground-level office in the Bellewood Office Park, a collection of several buildings on a leafy stretch of 112th Avenue.
Part of Bush headquarters sits along the street, and the broken window could be seen clearly from the sidewalk about 70 feet away.
The only identification is a small, gold-colored sign on an outer door that reads "Bush-Cheney" in plain letters. The low-profile location helps the campaign focus on its work without worrying about protesters or hecklers, Yoon said.
Vance said the break-in follows reports of vandalized Bush campaign signs and what he said were telephone calls to voters alleging Bush would reinstate a military draft if re-elected.
"To me there is some scary stuff going on from liberal radicals whose Bush hatred is out of control," Vance said.
Vance conceded he has no evidence of Democratic involvement in the break-in except the suspicious circumstances.
"I'm saying anything is possible," he said. "It could be something that is sanctioned by the Kerry campaign or some overzealous supporters acting on their own."
The Kerry campaign did not have a comment on Vance's comments.
Local Kerry spokesman JB Tengco said he felt bad about the burglary. "It's a sad fact for any group that has to go through that, and I wouldn't wish that on anyone," he said.
David Postman: 360-943-9882 or dpostman@seattletimes.com
ROFL-best laugh I've had all night.
You had to go and quote my favorite socialist poem now, didn't you?
Maybe we need to round up a posse and go after these anti-american scum.
I would agree with every point in your post.
After seeing him the other night, one does get the urge to see him extend his public service, but I don't see him yearning to do so.
In that I think the left misses a massive object lesson. This man is not consumed with the persuit of power. I believe he joined the Bush ticket to solidify it and move the nation in a positve direction. That is admirable, not damnable.
Roger that...
But it is heating up rapidly.
Election thuggery by leftists, imminent domain travesties, CFR infringment on free speech, the Nazi-style demogogery by the Rats.
The list goes on and on.
I fear it is almost too late to stop the terrible bloodshed that will follow. The good news is that the average leftist is unarmed.
Thanks, Misty. I was wondering if I was going to have to go without my Misty fix tonight... lol
Shooting into Republican HQs comes close to crossing a tributary of the Rubicaon.
Yeah, well the terrorists think they have a "cause" too. You little terrorist in the making!
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