Posted on 08/13/2009 5:04:52 PM PDT by sthguard
Though I've been politically outspoken (and occasionally out-shouted) among my various friends, colleagues, and acquaintances for some time, it was only this year that I decided to take the plunge and purchase the accessories every pundit needs: a few selected bumper stickers. When I transferred cars last month I decided the McCain/Palin sticker had served its purpose and tossed it, but switched over the other two: one from the tea party movement and one more waggish one mocking The One's well-documented Messiah complex. My conservative friends got a good laugh out of both, and I felt just a little better knowing that the Obama voters I passed on the freeway would probably be annoyed for at least a few seconds.
Today, I noticed something interesting: sometime in the last 24 hours, someone came up to my car and removed the Tea Party sticker, but left the other one (and the rest of my car, from what I can tell) untouched. Now, I suppose it's possible that the culprit decided that "God's Given Us a Savior: I'm Looking for a President" was an innocuous or maybe even accurate message, as I know a few liberals who have privately expressed fear and/or regret at Obama's continued continent-sized ego and stubborn refusal to govern unless there are no (say) pending police investigations to comment on. Or, it may simply be that the thief was too stupid to figure out that the other sticker even referred to Obama-- after all, it does use a three-syllable word! Or heck, for that matter maybe this was just a 50% bumper sticker tax, indicating that under the New World Order I'm allowed to retain exactly half of my opinions until unless further regulated. I don't know, and honestly given that the stolen sticker would only cost me 87 cents to replace the theft itself doesn't particularly bother me.
What I do find intriguing, however, is the potential motivations for such a petty act. Most cases of Crimes for the Benefit of the Party have some immediately evident purpose: to prevent college students from reading a conservative newspaper or viewing a pro-life protest, to bully unfriendly voters (think slashed tires or election site harassment), or of course to perpetuate lies and/or half-truths about a given political position. But this doesn't fit that MO. If anything, the Tea Party movement is gaining steam, both from its actual participants and from the continued negative media attention. And I'll be the first to admit that I'm not particularly active in it: while I did go to one rally in my hometown and enjoy listening to talk radio accounts of others, I haven't led any movements or been a particularly visible conservative outside of work (in case you were wondering, I take the bus to work, so it's unlikely that any of my colleagues would have done this). Likewise, removing one potential highway reminder of the widespread dissatisfaction is not going to convince any non-Obamabot that the "teabaggers" are just going away.
So what gives here? The only conclusion I can see is that the thief acted for much the same reason any fanatic acts: a mistaken perception that anything done to slow/stop opposition to "the cause" is justifiable, and that any damage done, be it physical, moral, emotional, or spiritual, will further encourage the enemy to roll over and play dead.
Boy, is he in for a surprise.
Perhaps the thief just wanted that sticker for himself?
Did you peel the back off the sticker?
I LOVED that bumpersticker when I saw it on a car at the grocery store!
I didn’t think “01-20-2013 or sooner, God willing...” was so bad. It’s on BOTH our cars. A TEACHER has told my son “That’s wrong!” and a guy at the gas station said “That’s going too far!” I suppose they don’t believe in God. BOY WILL THEY BE SURPRISED!
I never use bumper stickers, they are an invitation for liberals to vandalize your vehicle.
That's it, in a nutshell.
The damage to your car (if any) and the aggravation of the loss of the bumper sticker itself were not the motive. Just like the people who tear down opposing campaign posters, what they are really after is to prevent people from seeing those signs, and thus think that their opposition is weak and limited, and thus discourage them from opposing.
Bumper stickers are particularly effective because they are seen by many people daily and give encouragement to many who do not yet have the fortitude to put them on their own cars
Get another sticker. Get two. Get some nice anti-Obama types. There are plenty of them out there. Double down and dare them.
Unfortunately too true. My car was vandalized during both the 2004 and 2008 campaigns, when I had bumper stickers on them. Coincidence? I doubt it.
I have never had stickers on my cars for most of my life.
I added one a few years back
“My son is a US Marine”
Oddly, nobody has messed with the vehicle.
1. Since when does anything the leftists do make logical sense
and
2. I miss your posts terribly on the other site.
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