Political Yard-Sign Wars Rage as Election Nears By Carey Gillam KANSAS CITY, Mo. (Reuters) - Two weeks before a tight U.S. presidential election, tension among bitterly divided voters is translating into a barrage of attacks on political targets that can\'t talk back - yard signs. Campaign signs depicting support for either President Bush (news - web sites) or Democratic challenger John Kerry (news - web sites) are being burned, chopped down, spray-painted and commonly, stolen away in the dark of night. There were reports even of a hatchet left in one and a swastika burned into a lawn sporting a Bush sign. Though sign shenanigans are common in election years, some Republican leaders are calling this year\'s activity unprecedented. Democratic leaders say attacks are so rampant that supporters should take their yard signs inside at night to protect them. \"A lot of folks are doing sign stake-outs right now,\" said Democratic National Committee (news - web sites) spokesman Tony Welch. Bush and Kerry are locked in a tight battle and have waged an increasingly vitriolic campaign in advance of the Nov. 2 election. The race has again shown a U.S. electorate narrowly divided. Lawn signs in swing states such as Missouri, Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania have come under attack, and emotions appear to be running high even in traditionally tame states like Kansas. \"I was outraged,\" said Lis Ross of Fairway, Kansas, whose \"Kansans for Kerry\" sign disappeared last week. \"What made it worse was that they replaced it with a Bush-Cheney sign. I ran out there and ripped it into little pieces.\" Perpetrators are rarely caught and penalties vary widely if they are ever enforced. In Missouri, the theft of signs supporting Kerry and his running mate, North Carolina Sen. John Edwards (news - web sites), is so pervasive that the Cole County Democratic Party in the state capital of Jefferson City this week issued a $1,000 reward to help catch the perpetrators. \"This is the worst year ever,\" said county party Chairman Thomas Minihan, who reported that even over-sized signs posted on area highways had been swiped. \"It\'s costing us twice as much as normal.\" In Michigan, a Bush supporter caught men in the act of chopping down his Bush-Cheney sign. The vandals ran away but left the hatchet in the sign. In Ohio, two men were reportedly caught on videotape urinating on a Bush-Cheney sign, and in Madison, Wisconsin, someone burned a swastika into a lawn with a Bush sign. Some people are working overtime to protect their signs. Mark Shemet of Jaffrey, New Hampshire, has had to replace two stolen Kerry signs in the last week alone. Pennsylvania Democrats have threatened to spread itching powder on signs to keep the opposition at bay, and an Illinois family last week covered their yard sign with petroleum jelly to repel thieves. The antics have also reached beyond Republicans and Democrats. Someone in Kansas City made off with John Crowe\'s yard sign for Libertarian presidential candidate Michael Badnarick last weekend, though the neighbors\' Bush-Cheney signs were untouched, he said. The actions have left both sides angry and frustrated. \"We would hope that we could keep the political discourse above the level of yard sign thievery and defacement,\" said Michigan GOP spokesman Chris Paolino. But some political scientists think the activity may be a good thing. \"People really care about this election and this is one way to show it,\" said Richard Valelly, a research fellow at the Center for the Study of Democratic Politics at Princeton University. \"It\'s American politics.\"
some people are fucking retarted where they put the signs, i get out of my car and rip out some signs that block a turn that i make on a daily basis...if any body ever tried to say anything im sure their good day would end there.
What are you trying to get at. I say, split this country in two! The republicans can have their \"freedom\" in the south and us Democrats can have our \"socialism\" in the north.
im just saying the country is divided. i dont think all bush states are in the south you * Quit it...no more name calling.*RMJL. Wisconsin, ohio, iowa, all states that could swing bush\'s way. Kansas, colorado, not in the south. maybe you should look at your map again... You probably think the civil war was faught because of slavery anyway lol. That was one, not the major, but a small reason it was faught. I just think it is funny how there are articals about people stealing political signs.
Well, the people who want to live in the republican states can move tehre and vice versa! WRONG! I know why it was fought (please note the correct spelling). Have you read \"The People\'s History of The United States\" or won\'t you go near that? Yeah, I know this one house in Brooklyn that has a big BUSH/CHENEY sign in front. I did think about egging it, but didn\'t think it was worth the time wasted. I\'ve seen BUSH LIES stickers on parking meters. Personally, I won\'t even put a bumper sticker on my car. I don\'t need to stir things up that much. (But I do have a peace sign on it) And tomorrow I will ride my bicycle through NY wearing my Red Sox Jersey! FUCK THE YANKEES!
yea i was really glad to bosox pulled that one out. I havent read that book, not that i am offended or scared to readit, i just havent read it. I wish i had time to read books. School, work, homework, and party time takes all my dad lol. I was thinking about minoring in history, it was always very interesting to me. I wouldnt want to put a sticker on my SUV!!! because i wouldnt want someone to key it or something. I would like to find a big badnarik sticker. BTW, i got a sample ballot yesterday, nader isnt even on the ballot here. It is bush, kerry, and badnarik. There are 7 libertarians on there for diff. Offices, i think that is the most in any state!! They are running for senate and congress too.
Well. the first book you read after you graduate should be \"The People\'s History of The United States\" by Howard Zinn. This is an mind opener! I have a freind, he is a gay-republican (one of the few). He lives on Long Island, NY. He would send me letters with so many American flags on them I wouldn\'t know which one was the stamp. Anyway, I gave him a copy of this book. I buy this book used whenever I can just to give it away. In fact, if I get another copy I would send one to you. Free! As long as you promise to read it. Anyway, he reads the first chapter which is about Columbus and his ravaging and raping. He got so mad that this past Columbus Day he almost went down and protested. Crazy.
Actually the civil war was fought because the north imposed a tax on exported goods from the south. The south had to start paying for the north. If the war was really fought over slavery, then why is it that about 40% of the union soldiers left after the emancipation proclamation? Also..why is it that the states still faithful to the union got to keep their slaves?
40% left what? The war? The North? The USA? I believe the slaves were free but had to be paid. Thus not really making them slaves but they really didn\'t have anywhere else to go to work. Now, Lincoln was a Republican and he fought against states rights, because states rights was an issue as well. The south wanted states rights. Lincoln wanted to \"perserve the Union.\" Well, we haven\'t had states rights since!
Lincoln was an evil guy, he suspended habeaus corpus (sp?). Put the initial blows on states rights. It ..to some extent was fought over slavery now that I think about it, but that is by no means why it began.
yea, your right, slavery wasn\'t even the big issue, just also happened to happen as for the lawn signs, I have a few Bush/Cheney ones under my bed... but thats only because i was drunk one night and when i went outside to get the pizza that was being delievered to my house I noticed my Kerry sign was gone... soo of course being drunk I went and took a bunch of bush signs... \"that\'ll teach \'em\" but when i was in madison the past weekend, one of my friends friends girlfriends (lol) got a death threat walking down the road because she had a bush sticker on her jacket. It was crazy, people wouldn\'t even talk to her. very liberal city, i love college towns
^ My friends and i used to steal peoples for sale signs, and stick them in other peoples lawns...it was so damn fun!!
If Republicans can\'t even steal signs properly, how can we trust them to run the country? Randal Wagner is a Republican sign-thief from Wheat Ridge, Colorado, and clearly he needs a bit of practice. Wagner was already under suspicion of stealing campaign signs but wasn\'t caught until he took a sign from a local business and proceeded to run for it, getting as far as a low chain blocking off the driveway which he tripped over, landing on his face, and knocking himself unconscious. Police found him sleeping peacefully on top of the stolen sign - and then discovered two dozen stolen signs in the back of his pickup truck. He was treated for cuts and bruises, and then charged with theft, trespassing, criminal tampering, and disorderly conduct. Maybe the Bush administration will be able to bail him out - he sounds like he\'d be a perfect addition to their post-election legal team.
we know their going to need it. Kerry already said no matter how bad he loses, if he loses, he is declaring victory and sueing like a mofo. He has his legal teams ready to fly in. That is the worst thing i have ever heard. Trying to block people off the balot, Using the race card, Now this.
Wishful thinking never hurt anyone. Its pretty close, but i think the 4 swing voters left in america are going to vote for Kerry. They have had 3.75 yrs to decide, so i dont think these next few days are going to swing them his way. I went to early vote today, and the line was out the door so i didnt wait b/c i had class. They are predicting a massive turnout though.
A friend of mine mentioned that all these polls are done by land-line phones. Well, he believes that most of the people who ONLY have a cell phone will be voting for Kerry. Interesting take. I still hope Kerry wins the electoral college and Bush the popular vote!