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.
From what I've seen on FR tonight, NO one has commented on where Dustin got this bunk drilled into his head. NOT, thank Heavens, from his mom!!!
Didn't one of the questions in the VP debate deal with why Cheney was picked to run with President Bush? I thought in his answer Cheney said something about not having any aspirations for higher political office. IMHO I think VP Cheney will stop after a second Bush/Cheney term.
Illinios is starting to see the violence too.
I think the RATS have an email campaign going to promote this.
Those 4x8's aren't cheap! My daughter bought one for her front yard (which has so far been left alone) which cost $169.
My own yard signs that I got from campaign headquarters were stolen several times. We immediately replaced them and had to take them in at night to protect them. One night I was on the front porch just as 4 drunk college students came up on my lawn and started kicking at one sign and taking down the other. I told them in no uncertain terms to get off my lawn and two of them came right into my face and started to confront me. Like animals! My husband came out and chased them for blocks before they finally ducked into a building somewhere. What's really weird is that the signs that had been stolen have started to reappear on my lawn...one every few days! LOL.
It is sad to think our society has come to this. I can remember at their age being afraid to be anything but respectful of others and their property. The kids today, some of them, have no concept of that.
My friend who walks all over town with her Bush pins and sign every day has been assaulted, spit on, pushed down, yelled at, cursed at, and threatened. She is an older woman and no one seems to let that bother them at all!
If we don't do something, the hatred (misguided as it is) will only fester and boil over. But what? This is a frustrated society that suffers from the effect of the burn-your-bra crowd who failed to be parents to their kids. The damage runs very deep.
"Always remember....the difference between a conservative and a liberal is....A conservative bases his politics on his morals.......A liberal bases his morals on his politics....."
Excellent!
Misty, I don't know what we can do, but I do seeing this escalate & some innocent person is going to get hurt badly if something isn't done!
"not consumed with the pursuit of power"
Wow! That's such a great point!
I think Cheney would have been happy in any position. I always felt Cheney got involved because he saw the potential of leadership which had been sorely missing in America for 8 years.
However, since the left never does anything that isn't in the pursuit of power .. I doubt they'd get the point.
LOL. sorry. I was sleeping all day!
You've got mail. But I'm outta here for the night. I'll TTY tomorrow!
Most true statement I've seen in much too long. Thank you.
The schools have more power over the kids then many of the parents. Recently my son-in-law, who has two little boys with my daughter, naively told me that I didn't need to worry about their kids! He would raise them to be honorable and well-behaved little republicans! I know he and my daughter are excellent parents and have the very best of intentions, but I also know what it is to raise kids who are being heavily influenced by outside sources. You can't battle those things unless you are available 24/7. I gave up a whole lot (by some people's standards) to make sure I was home ALL THE TIME for my kids. I drove them to school, picked them up, knew where they were and did my darnedest to be a constant monitor....much to their consternation. But each of my 4 kids has thanked me profusely for making sure they didn't make any serious mistakes along the way.
That is a very hard order for parents today. Society is such that staying home often means there is no food on the table. I sure wish we could turn the hands of time back to the 70's and go beat the crap out of all the bra-burners and flower children! How it is that we ever came to a time when someone like Kerry had the respect of ANYONE is beyond me. It's a sad state of affairs.
You wonder where these kids get thier opinions. Check out a letter to the editor from the Duluth paper:
Country pays price for Bush's arrogance
I do not know any of the individuals involved in the recent campaign sign vandalism story in Duluth, but I have formed some opinions based on the reporting of the story. The three teenagers were wrong to vandalize the signs in Bob James' yard. However, I respect these teenagers for recognizing they did something wrong and making a public apology to the victim and to the community.
One of the newspaper articles indicated that the teenagers were motivated in part by their strong dislike for President Bush. I would encourage them to channel their anger into working to help defeat President Bush in the November election.
As for James, he appears to have some of the same character flaws as the candidate he supports. These would include arrogance and inability to admit he might be wrong. The best example of Bush's arrogance is how he alienated the entire world by pursuing his own agenda in Iraq. The American people will pay the price for Bush's arrogance in both lives and dollars for many years to come. Bush was the wrong choice to lead America in 2000 and he is still the wrong choice today.
I hope that enough people recognize the fact that Bush has done a lousy job as president and boot him out of the White House on Nov. 2.
MICHAEL WAGNER
WINTER, WIS.
And another from the paper!
Cartoon minimized serious vandalism
The Sept. 24 News Tribune editorial cartoon regarding the vandalism in Duluth is unbelievable.
It shows "Bush for president" signs with cute words painted on them like "Stinky" and "Doofus." A sorrowful youth is being dragged off by the police and homeowner Bob James is reveling in the youth's sorrow.
Sorry, but the vandals wrote "Nazi" and painted swastikas on the man's property. Stinky is a kids' word. Nazi is a historical reference to a regime that killed millions. To portray this vandalism as cute is disgusting.
Your paper said that the kid was forced by his mother to turn himself in. Where is the remorse? He said he was sorry -- OK. That does not change the fact that, of his own free will, he destroyed someone else's property and referenced the most vile murderous regime in history. It took a strong stance by his mom for him to turn himself in -- and he got front page coverage for it.
Imagine the ruckus your paper would have made if Kerry's signs had been vandalized in a similar manner with "hateful" statements. We would have been reading about the hateful Republicans' kids for weeks. There would have been psychological commentary et al. Your paper would not, for one second, show that as being cute.
The paper always talks about tolerance, working together and our diversity as a strength, and then you make light of this. Would you make light of someone vandalizing the lynching monument? In fact, if the kids had painted the signs as you portrayed, while it would still be vandalism and they should still be punished, it would have been kid stuff. For the paper to euphemize the actual wording used is a joke.
A letter printed in your paper said that the paper all but condoned the vandalism -- well, publishing that cartoon did condone it. Nice message News Tribune.
DAVE COOK
DULUTH
The conservatives are seething as I see it.. I know I am..
Whats goin on in my mind you don't want to know.. I even had a dream Cheney was President except honestly my real desires are for Rumsfeld.. Sorry.. but my mind does wander.. Hopeing the demotrolls assasinate the President TWICE.. is a bit much even for me.. Interesting times we live in..
Want to write a letter to the Duluth paper? Here you go!!
http://www.duluthsuperior.com/mld/duluthsuperior/contact_us/
Do a google search for Vietnam Veterans of America Anti-Imperialism. Then follow the links. You will be amazed what is behind much of this today. The reddest of communism is involved in our politics today. The greenest of tree huggers has international support. Groups like Harrass the Brass are continually trying to influence our military men and women to refuse orders in the military. And many of the people who support John Kerry (and are friends of his) are the same people with links to these organizations.
Do a google on Scott Camil and you will find a link to Call of Conscience. He and Bill Burkett BOTH signed a letter to the troops encouraging them to rise up and refuse to serve. The links are deeply embedded and worldwide. It's sick to think John Kerry is anywhere near the road to the WH! I could just puke! :(
thx for the ping
Hugh PING!
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