I hope this is not an indication of things to come! This stuff then the rumors about voter registration fraud. I guess if the Democrates cannot win an election they will steal one

Posted by: curt317 at October 7, 2004 05:37 AM

..curt317,I echo your concerns..isn’t it ironic that the left has hired thousands of lawyers around the nation to promote a fair and proper election..now this..if folks dont realize we are in a battle of values.. or the lack there of.. then we truly are a doomed nation…

Posted by: Rob_NC at October 7, 2004 08:35 AM

This is obviously a polarized nation of voters. Unfortunately the deep divides can breed animosity toward the other side. This works both ways!

For anecdotal balance I’ll provide a few instances which have occurred recently in my swing-state city (Columbus, Ohio):

A Republican (city?) attorney was caught having his daughter (a minor) jump out of his SUV to steal Kerry/Edwards signs.

Another Repub was caught, by the waiting home owner, vandalizing the same Peace sign he had vandalized the previous weekend.

It was also reported that someone spraypainted “Lies” on the front door of a Republican campaign office.

ok, ep

Posted by: elvispresley2k at October 7, 2004 09:57 AM

It works both ways, but the smarmy libs have an advantage. When the unionized dems stormed the West Allis Wisconsin Bush/Cheyney headquarters they got up on the tables to blare their protest. Not only was this illegal but much more unseemly than if Republicans had done it. You see, all the women were black and over 400 pounds. We have nothing to compete against this!!! NO mas No mas These women were worried about overtime, but how many of them do you think are working??? To me this looked like the hardest work they have done in years, and getting back on the bus was no walk in the park for them either!!! LOL LOL Bring it on libs….

Posted by: dickmr at October 7, 2004 12:22 PM

What I love is the local Dem in Charge’s response — file their own police reports. Yeah, that’s the answer! You wouldn’t want to condemn these thuggish actions and acknowledge the right to voice competing views. No. Let’s work up some PR-friendly police reports of our own.

I’m neither a Republican nor a Democrat, but I find the Dems conduct to be despicable these last several months. If they conducted themselves with restraint, judgment and honor rather than this hypocritical, anything goes, hysteria we might actually get a government and society that reflects more of the principles that they purport to care about. Instead, people look at them and say “yech” and Bush & Co. get more leeway than they would have if challenged by a responsible party.

Posted by: TL at October 7, 2004 01:25 PM

Ohferchrissakes!

Out here, we found a bunch of teenagers doing this sort of thing, just for S&Gs. Turns out that their motivation was that they just Knew it would make the papers, as the parties started to complain about it.

But yard sign stealing and vandalism has been an ongoing problem for several decades, as anyone who has ever tried to manage a major campaign is fully aware. Or even a minor campaign.

This is the Silly Season, and when the political juices start flying without Adult Supervision, these sorts of things are inevitable.

Out here, we have a local candidate who is particularly susceptible to having horns and a goatee scribbled onto his picture on his signs. Gives him a Mephistophelian appearance more than would otherwise result.

It’s unclear whether there are more signs being stolen or vandalized. It’s entirely clear that The Cops are being called more often, so the matter makes it into The Meeja in an attempt to draw outrage from it.

It’s just all part of the Danse Macabre, folks. Nothing new, nothing unexpected. Happens everywhere, to all parties and candidates.

Keep this one in perspective. The signs won’t change or get even one vote.

Posted by: Don at October 7, 2004 01:46 PM

Sure, let them file their reports. In the end, we’ll see how many Bush/Cheney signs were vandalized, how many Kerry/Edwards signs were vandalized, and how many names on each side of the aisle are listed as vandals.

Any odds on which side “wins”?

Posted by: gus3 at October 7, 2004 01:47 PM

It’s far more than yard signs this year. See here for an article.

Many people I know are not putting Bush/Cheney bumper stickers on their cars this year because the cars may be vandalized.

I talked to a wheel-chair bound lady a few days ago. Their church had to move the handicapped parking from the back to the front of their area, because of vandalism against cars in the out-of-sight handicapped area that had Bush stickers on them.

We got a note under the wipers: “Bush Sucks” - not damaging, but not exactly political debate.

Pulling down signs is antidemocratic. Committing expensive vandalism and using deadly force is something much less common.

This is taking place in Arizona where a significant percentage of the populace is armed.

A Bush sign near my daughter’s place in Maryland was defaced four times and then cut down with a power tool.

The level of anti-democratic behavior against Bush supporters, combined with the level of vocalized hate and broadcast hate is something I haven’t seen since the Vietnam War.

Posted by: John Moore ( Useful Fools ) at October 7, 2004 02:31 PM

Ohmywingsandbeak!

Yes, Don, let’s all keep some perspective on people getting swastikas burnt on their lawn. Just somebody out for kicks! Union thugs storming political offices, breaking things and hurting people.

All just a big laugh, as anybody who supposedly served in the military and has run political campaigns and scaled Bandini Mountain can tell you.

Credibility still zero, but keep trying!

Posted by: TL at October 7, 2004 05:00 PM

DON! LOL. “This is the Silly Season, and when the political juices start flying without Adult Supervision, these sorts of things are inevitable.”

That’s exactly what concerns me in particular, since you would characterize this behavior as childish (without Adult Supervision).

It must have something to do with your efforts to give the vote to just about anybody, including the WalkingDead. Or… how about a half a vote for 17 year old juvenile delinquents who have no memory of what occurred in the Seventies, or those who have been subjected to Academic Revisionism.

Undocumented aliens anyone?

My word - It takes Adult Supervision to keep yard signs or BumperStickers where they belong.

Maybe what we do need is someone to instruct voters on how to PROPERLY punch a hole in a ballot, eh? Or, maybe just a test to find out whether or not they really know how to do that.

Who’d a thunk???

Posted by: Cap'n DOC at October 7, 2004 05:57 PM

I am detecting a definite note of desperation on this and other threads from the usual suspects. Seems they thought that post-convention bounce was written in stone. Guess they didn’t count on their fearless leader looking like a deer in the headlights when the debates rolled around. Ooops. Don’t look now but Kerry now has a small lead and clearly has the momentum, with just weeks to turn it around. Yes, definitely time to panic guys.

Posted by: rdelephant at October 7, 2004 07:01 PM

I guess as long as you win, whatever you and your friends do is okay, eh rd? Your ends are good, so means are irrelevant.

Interesting. There once was an Austrian corporal with much the same point of view.

Posted by: TL at October 7, 2004 08:14 PM

Set the scene. Don and Rdelephant are sneaking up to a yard in the dark. Faces smudged with boot black to stop the reflection of the moon. Sliding forward they believe they can uproot the large Bush sign just 50 feet ahead. Sitting in the darkness on the porch is an NRA member who couldnt sleep…slowly cleaning his shotgun and drinking a Bud Lite. He notices Don and Rdelephant because the big ASSES are up in the air as they slither closer. Finally they stand up and pull the sign from mooring….as they turn to run away….two large shotgun blasts are heard. Both men have shot deeply buried into their buns and they hurry to emergency….where alas, the republican hospital employees turn them down for lack of health insurance. boooo hooo booo hooo

Posted by: dickmr at October 7, 2004 09:10 PM

LOL! Sweet, dickmr. Dismissive Don and ScareTactics rdelephant would enjoy the company of each other, I’m sure.

Posted by: Cap'n DOC at October 8, 2004 07:34 AM

..anybodybutbush..the left would make a deal with the devil..
..what is sooo ironic is the amount of lawers the left rely on..then stage these media events.. they think its creative..we just think they are self serving hypocrites..
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/politics/content/local_news/epaper/2004/10/08/s1d_ELECT_1008.

Posted by: Rob_NC at October 8, 2004 08:03 AM

dickmr…(LOL!) ONLY TWO?!? Hell, mine holds TEN plus one in the tube. ;-)

Cap’n,

YEP...right up until they got into a crying, scratching, hair-pulling fight over who was smarter.

Posted by: DevilDoc at October 8, 2004 08:53 AM

Whooa! I think they both prolly have had a steel plate implanted in the proper place by now. Does the Double-0 go through steel plate, or were you talkin’ BirdShot?

Posted by: Cap'n DOC at October 8, 2004 11:13 AM

Yep, prolly right…explains much…butt, I was thinking more along the lines of THESE anyway:

12 GAUGE MINI-MISSLE
THE LEAD SLUG HAS A SWAGED STEEL CORE IN THE CENTER OF THE PROJECTILE WHICH ALLOWS A HIGHER VELOCITY. THE CORE ACTS MUCH LIKE A SHAPED CHARGE ALLOWING DEEP PENETRATION INTO HARD OBJECTS INCLUDING MOST METALS.
HV-0632

12 GAUGE CHAIN REACTION
SIX INCHES OF CHAIN TUMBLES AND EXPANDS CAUSING A TRAUMATIC SHOCK EFFECT TO THE TARGET. IDEAL USAGE IS IN THE DARK WHERE THE ADVERSARY IS HIDDEN IN BRUSH OR WOODED AREAS.
HV-0633

12 GAUGE FLECHETTE
A FLECHETTE IS A 1 INCH DART SHAPED PROJECTILE FOR USE IN TAKING OUT SNIPERS HIDING IN THICK BRUSH OR TREES. DUE TO THE PENETRATION OF THESE PROJECTILES, TREE LIMBS AND BRUSH WILL NOT DISPERSE THE DARTS AS READILY AS ROUND SHOT. THEY WILL GIVE AN ALL COVERING PATTERN WITHIN TREES OR BRUSH. NOT INTENDED FOR HUNTING. THESE WERE UTILIZED DURING THE VIET-NAM ERA, OFTEN REFERRED TO AS THE “BEEHIVE” ROUND.
HV-0615

12 GAUGE BOLO ROUNDS
THIS ROUND IS LOADED WITH TWO LEAD BALLS TIED TOGETHER WITH A 5 INCH FLEXIBLE STEEL WIRE. BEST USED FOR LONG-RANGE DEFENSE.
HV-0621

Posted by: DevilDoc at October 8, 2004 11:48 AM

Injury Update: A local surgeon says the ‘butt’ surgery was sensitive but successful. It appears that ‘bolo’ shot was used, and each has a remaining souvenir that was not removed for appearance purposes. Charges are being brought for misdemeanor trespassing. The woman judge is known as the TERMINATOR, so there was no bail offered at this time. Since they have no access to the outside world, TCP is having to go cold turkey from their authoritative comments. Finally a judge who is on our side!!

Posted by: dickmr at October 8, 2004 02:35 PM