Death penalty opponents drape `Mankiller' banner over Schwarzenegger's name at stadium

modbee ^ | 10-29-04

[LouAvul]

VIENNA, Austria (AP) - Activists opposed to the death penalty scaled the roof of a soccer stadium named for Arnold Schwarzenegger on Friday and unfurled a banner covering the California governor's name with the word "Mankiller."

The activists said they were protesting Schwarzenegger's support for capital punishment in California. The death penalty is illegal in Austria, where Schwarzenegger was born and began his bodybuilding career.

"We decided to pointedly protest the death penalty in California a few days before the U.S. presidential election" next Tuesday, said Peter Rosenauer, a spokesman for the group Resistance for Peace.

"The Republican governor of California and close political confidant of U.S. President George W. Bush has not renounced the death penalty," he said.

Two members of the group dressed in blue workmen's overalls walked unnoticed into Schwarzenegger Stadium in Graz, about 200 kilometers (120 miles) south of Vienna, and used a ladder to reach the roof and cover Schwarzenegger's name with the banner.

From the ground, with the banner in place, the stadium's main sign read "Arnold Mankiller Stadium" for about two hours before authorities were called to the scene to remove the label.

Graz's stadium was renamed on June 20, 1997, to mark the 50th birthday of Schwarzenegger, who was born in the nearby village of Thal. He became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1984.

[Blue Scourge]

Understandable why he left there.

[Callahan]

"Mankiller"--sounds like the name of a new Schwarzenegger movie. Arnold Schwarzenegger...You loved him as Conan...you feared him as the Terminator...now he's back as...the Mankiller!

[Calico Cat]

The best Europeans--the ones with guts, strength and ambition--emigrated to the U.S. at the turn of the century. The dregs were left, and these are their descendants.

[Paleo Conservative]

"We decided to pointedly protest the death penalty in California a few days before the U.S. presidential election" next Tuesday,

Excellent idea. Americans overwhelmingly support the death penalty. This will definitely hurt Kerry.

[GeronL]

Those people are pro-abortion aren't they??

[clee1]

Yep; they are against killing unless it involves the unborn.

[GeronL]

Somehow only the unborn deserve the death penalty

[SteveMcKing]

Did they also show the names "Danielle van dam" or "Polly Klaas"???

[Cowboy Bob]

Activists opposed to the death penalty scaled the roof of a soccer stadium...

I wish that just once, someone would shoot one of these wackos as they hang from a bridge, tree or building to unfurl their stupid banners.

[eyespysomething]

lol

[clee1]

I wish it would happen a hell of a lot more often than ONCE. :)

[squidward]

Why should we care what these mopes think? Screw them!!

[WestVirginiaRebel]

"Mankiller?"

I though they were talking about Hillary Clinton...

[clee1]

Naaaa. She doesn't have the guts to be a killer. She hires out the dirty jobs.

[PoorMuttly]

"KillerKiller"

[dagnabbit]

The Euro-leftist weasel-scum are just rearranging deckchairs and otherwise killing time before the mullahs take over in their soon-to-be-islamic countries.

[Porterville]

Being against the death penalty is a legitimate point of view; as much as being against abortion. In fact, they seem to compliment each other which is odd that liberals are so pro abortion and anti death penalty and Republicans are pro death penalty and anti abortion. It seems to me that they are nearly one in the same. That said there are many SOBs I'd like to see suffer by the most cruel and unusual methods..... but then that wouldn't be consistent with what I believe on the other end.... there needs to be some type of rectification

[Free_at_last_-2001]

You loved him as Conan...you feared him as the Terminator...now he's back as...the Mankiller! How about "Girlyman Killer"?

[kingu]

Ahh man, here for a moment I thought that he had dumped the Kennedy family and went and married Wilma Mankiller and that he was going to go down to the Cherokee office and kick some Chad Smith rump.