I have Justin Ready at the Maryland Republican Party to thank for sending these pictures and accompanying text from Prince George’s Republican Central Committee chair Mykel Harris. Here’s what Harris had to say about a recent case of political vandalism:
For those of you who missed it, a firestorm recently erupted when the owners of the Colony South hotel in Southern Maryland erected a lone 2’x8′ McCain-Palin sign on their property. Never mind that in the past, the same property had been adorned with campaign signs of numerous candidates, both Democrat and Republican. None of that mattered now. Within hours of the sign’s appearance, the hotel began receiving frantic telephone calls and email messages demanding that it be taken down. Local newspapers were quick to pick up the story. It didn’t take long before a number of Democrat activists began talking about a boycott of the hotel for “disrepecting” the community. As time progressed some of the phone calls took a darker, more serious and threatening nature, prompting the owner to report them to law enforcement. Now it appears that some unknown person or persons have determined that it is ok to deface the personal property of others who display similar signs.
(Earlier this week), a private citizen’s home, campaign sign and other property were defaced. Although a registered Democrat in Prince George’s County, his apparent crime was that he too was displaying another 2’x8′ McCain-Palin sign in his front yard. In past elections, this citizen often displayed large signs of the candidate for whom he was supporting. The difference this time was that his candidate for President happened to be a Republican. One can only assume that he too was “disrespecting” the community by excercising his free-speech rights.
Now I understand that in every election there are incidents where campaign signs on both sides are removed, torn down and defaced. But rarely do the perpetrators proceed to deface your home and personal property in your yard. Waking up to find that someone has been prowling outside your window strikes me as sending a…personal message. It appears that the current climate is moving us towards a new level of political intolerance.
Fortunately we have the means to restore peace and good order to our community. We must stand up for our rights and the rights of others to advocate on behalf of their party, candidate or issue. We must insist that our elected officials, law enforcement, and appointed election officials take these matters seriously. We absolutely must demand that persons found violating the civil rights of others via sign vandalism, voter registration fraud, or political intimidation pay a terrible price.
Within the next few days I will keep you up to date on this developing story and the role you can play in bringing it to a proper conclusion. Until then continue to work for our party and our candidates. The darkness will never prevail so long as someone leaves the light on.
The pictures were also enclosed:
Harris is correct and I’m sure 90% of my readers, who run the gamut from just left of militia (me) to those who think 9/11 was an inside job, would agree that these sorts of tactics are reprehensible. But once upon a time that ten percent who thinks any and all tactics are fair in political war was one percent, and that ten percent is getting more dangerous. I’m not sure it’s completely out of the question that someone’s going to get killed over this year’s election – it’s the sort of thing we think only happens in some faroff African or South American nation but this might be the year America sees that sort of violence.
A natural devolution is taking place which matches the political discourse of the last fifteen years or so, in particular the last eight. Certainly there were many on the GOP side who badmouthed Bill Clinton, but they had nowhere near the number or fury of those who suffer from extreme cases of Bush Derangement Syndrome. Yesterday I gave other examples of the hatred spewed at Sarah Palin from those on the left, and today I follow with more examples of anti-Republican feelings being shown via a can of spray paint and without regard to one’s private property. (But had the owner came out shooting and killed one or more of the perpetrators, he would have been the one villified despite having the trespassers.)
It’s probably been said so often that it’s cliche’, but this may well be the most important election in American history. Unfortunately, given the propensity of those on the left to whine in various ways if the outcome isn’t as they wish (even after the cheating) we’re faced with a stark choice – give in to those who would impart socialism on America or face the remote but real prospect of violence should Obama not win. This is especially true if we face a repeat of the events which transpired after the 2000 election or have a similar outcome where John McCain loses in the popular vote but carries enough states to win the Electoral College.
A word I heard a lot over the weekend to describe this election was “scary.” Thug tactics like these in Prince George’s County reinforce the idea.
There’s no excuse for this crap, but why no story about the incident in Virginia, where an Obama sign in a black man’s yard was stolen and was replaced with a Confederate flag? That was appalling. I don’t think McCain’s campaign helps when he sands a pamphlet around Virginia with a picture of a plane about to hit a building, and then text that says Obama would just want to talk about it. It is total b.s, it is dishonorable, and it isn’t the act of some un-educated moron, it is put out by th McCain campaign with his endorsement. THAT I find really despicable.