Daily Kos

That is my Kerry sign. This is my rifle.

by DavidSewell

Sat Sep 25, 2004 at 05:23:22 PM PDT

Just had my second campaign sign stolen today. I have two signs at the bottom of my driveway, a Kerry/Edwards and an Al Weed (VA-5 Congress candidate). The first time, only the Weed sign was taken, which I thought was kind of odd, because your typical Democrat-hater is going to go after the Kerry sign or both. But they tell me at Weed HQ that there is speculation some of the Weed sign theft may be apolitical, the result of college kiddies who think it is somehow humorous to have a big sign saying "WEED" on their dorm wall.
Today, though, I was out and got back around 4:30. Both signs in place. Toward 7, got a call from a neighbor, Democrat, who said she had just driven home and saw that the four or five Kerry signs on our road were missing. Not the Weed signs, just the Kerry. This wasn't any dumb college kid, it was some confirmed hater of political free speech.

I live off a rural road in central Virginia, 1/3 up a gravel driveway from the road. It's a road that happens to have a good bunch of active Democrats on it, and this no doubt irks some of the others who drive through.

My wife and I have a stock of Kerry signs, so we took one, got in the  pickup truck, and drove down the hill to replace the stolen one. Parked the truck near the end of the driveway with the rear end facing the road, replaced the sign, lowered the tailgate of the truck, got in the bed and sat facing the signs holding a rifle casually across my lap. (Single-shot .22, unloaded, but you're not going to know that driving by.) Just sat there, enjoying the evening breeze, watching a few cars and trucks drive by but none of them slowing suspiciously, until it got dark.

I figure it can't hurt to send a message, and it sure felt cathartic.

I should maybe add that I'm not a hunter, haven't fired a gun at anything living other than a rabid raccoon or injured possum, or many years ago hunting rabbits as a kid. Haven't been in a fight since I was thirteen or fourteen. But there is definitely something about this election that rouses the "I'm not going to take any more of this shit" spirit.

I hope that when Bush supporters say dismissively, "Oh, those Democrats are always angry," they realize that this anger is something much quieter and much deeper than anything they have seen in us before; and that if this election is won by their candidate narrowly and through questionable tactics, it is an anger that will not fade away with time.

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  •  Get a nanny cam (none / 1)

    If you're technologically savvy, you could set up a small, hidden camera where the sign is -- preferably in a spot where it also shows the nearby road in order to get the license plate number of the car carrying the sign-stealer -- and even set up a light synced to a motion detector to catch the criminal in the act in the dead of night, if need be.

    Did you see that Pete Sessions (I think it was Sessions) actually was caught by a police officer stealing his opponent's signs in the 2002 election?  Who knows how lucky you could get? <g>

    I do not suffer fools gladly

    by GreekGirl on Sat Sep 25, 2004 at 05:23:20 PM PDT

  •  That's Hysterical (none / 0)

    I live in a rather Republican area myself, but four of us on my street have Kerry signs in our yards.  I've wondered what I'd do if mine was stolen, besides replacing it..

    I actually made a comment a few weeks about sitting on my porch with a shotgun (I don't actually own any guns though) guarding my sign, but ha!   You did it.. and that's great.

    The road to hell is paved with Good Intentions.

    by JenAtlanta on Sat Sep 25, 2004 at 05:34:28 PM PDT

  •  Beautiful post (none / 0)

    The last two paragraphs were damned eloquent.

    by jay l on Sat Sep 25, 2004 at 05:40:39 PM PDT

  •  Well, on the Kerry sign front out here in Chico (none / 1)

     CA...where yes, we're still visiting. They are blooming like the flowers in spring. I saw my first real B/C04 bumper sticker today.
       Hmmm...BC isn't that like back to the stone age..which is where they want to drag us?
        Anyhow, they were having a  Going Away Party For GW Bush in the town square today. There were Kerry signs all over,a banner that read Pray For Victory in Novemeber, tables with food and drinks, a little old lady sellling potted plants with American Flags in them andf a sign..No Bushes Here! All the local Dems running for local office were there..and on the town  bandstand...a band, what else?
       It was like a scene from an all  Democrat version of The Music Man.
       We chatted with the candidates, told them how we were just visiting up in Chico and asked how things were going in such a red red town in a blue blue state.
        They said, very well, they haven't been seeing any Bush signs around unlike back in 2000..and I get the distinct idea that some of the repubs around here are doing the old flip flop on  Georgie boy.
       I was shocked considering what I've  heard about the place that the Democrats who are outnumbered in this town would take over the village square on this sunny Saturday, but I definitely think it;s a great sign for the party on such a local level.
        The only down side, everywhere I've been here I've mentioned Daily Kos, and blogging and I get blank looks. I was telling one of the local candiates for City Council about the site, maybe he'll surf in. I'm always surprised that  these guys in Chico seem to be so web challenged.
     

    "Calmer than you are Dude....calmer than you"

    by sula on Sat Sep 25, 2004 at 05:41:51 PM PDT

  •  Same problem here (none / 1)

    I'm living near Ohio State's campus, but my family lives in Dublin, a wealthy Republican suburb of Columbus.  They put out a Kerry sign the other day and it didn't even last a day.  They've said other Kerry signs in the area have been disappearing as well.  I gave them some suggestions I'd heard on here: putting motor oil or something similar on the stand to get them dirty, or perhaps loading it up with pepper spray.  Any other ideas to stop the theft short of sitting out in the front lawn with a shotgun?  (I'm sure my dad would be glad to do it, but it might get him into some trouble).

    by asearchforreason on Sat Sep 25, 2004 at 05:42:41 PM PDT

    •  my friend (none / 0)

      had a problem with people driving across some gravel on their property while they were cutting a corner, so they put some big rocks there.  Someone kept moving the rocks back, so they put baking grease (can't remember exactly what it is called... its the white stuff you put on pans, sorta like lard i think) on the rocks then rubbed dirt on it to make it look black.

      Needless to say the rocks remained there...

      by Demosthenes on Sat Sep 25, 2004 at 06:57:30 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

      •  Fun with sign stealing (none / 1)

        You may be referring to Crisco. That would be a excellent coating for the edges of the sign. Sign stealing is probably done in the middle of the night in a great hurry.  Because the object is to get rid of the sign in a big hurry, it is probably thrown in the backseat. Coating the sides of the sign with something the thief
        would not like on their hands/car seats sounds like it may be a lot of fun.  Spotting Die from a tool and die shop is excellent.  Other products would be grease paint from a Halloween shop, or axel grease from your auto repair shop.  More than likely the thief would not realize that they have been had until they are down the road. Be creative and have some fun.

        The present administration is rolling back the Great Society, the New Deal, the Enlightenment, and the Renaissance.

        by JohnInWestland on Sat Sep 25, 2004 at 07:57:08 PM PDT

        [ Parent ]

    •  I like the idea of wiping dog poop all over (none / 0)

      the sticks after pushing the sign into the ground. Also a circle of poop around the sign but covered with cut grass or leaves- step right up to take my sign.

      Spray the sign and stakes with the bitter spray you buy at the pet store to keep your dog from chewing on your stuff (take it from personal experience-the taste is nasty if you get it in or near your mouth).

      Last idea, from a previous post- take a black marker and on both sides of the sign, in print only large enough to be seen when you get close to the sign- Smile, you're on my webcam-you thief!"

      "Liberals feel unworthy of their possessions. Conservatives feel they deserve everything they've stolen." Mort Sahl

      by maggiemae on Sat Sep 25, 2004 at 09:10:49 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

      •  Spray--or oil-- (none / 1)

        with a hot pepper oil.

        The bastards stealing the sign will get it on their hands.  From there... well, rubbing an eye, or picking one's nose, or perhaps putting a hand into some snack bag and then putting foodingo one's mouth would be a... um... exceedingly memorable experience.

        I watched a friend learn about hot peppers when he helped me make chili one day.  

        We need not think alike to love alike -- Ferenc Dávid

        by ogre on Sat Sep 25, 2004 at 10:43:57 PM PDT

        [ Parent ]

      •  Something stinky (none / 0)

        I think something stinky but invisible and persistent would be better. The one thing that comes to mind is something like deer musk. Don't they sell this to hunters to mask their own scent? I remember smelling it once years ago and it was rank! Probably something at a sporting good store in the hunting section would do.

        tragically un-hip
        ..- .... --..-- / --- -.- .-.-.-

        -5.88, -6.82

        by Debby on Sat Sep 25, 2004 at 11:11:54 PM PDT

        [ Parent ]

      •  The dog poop idea was great. (none / 0)

        Sounds like my kind of justice.

        Someone was stealing and eating my lunches at work. It wasn't like anyone was hard up for money or anything, it was all well-off engineers. Someone was just too lazy to make his own goddamn lunch so he was eating mine (and others').

        I got sick of it so I made a decoy lunch one day with boogers in the food. The next day I made another decoy lunch with a Post-It note on my sandwich that read, "you ate my boogers yesterday."

        Needless to say, I felt vindicated and my lunch was never stolen again.

        by DynomiteUVA on Sat Sep 25, 2004 at 11:31:00 PM PDT

        [ Parent ]

    •  Thanks for the ideas all (none / 0)

      I'll pass them along.  Someone mentioned night thefts...turns out these folks are operating in broad daylight and have stolen more signs than just ours.  Probably a neighbor or something.  I can't imagine it would be anyone else since we live away from the arterial roads.  Who would do that to a neighbor?

      by asearchforreason on Sat Sep 25, 2004 at 09:28:59 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

    •  Put a sign next to it that says: (none / 0)

      Republicans have stolen this sign three times.

      or

      To the Republicans who keep stealing this sign: I own a gun.

      Stephanie Dray
      of Jousting for Justice, a lefty blog with a Maryland tilt.

      by stephdray on Sun Sep 26, 2004 at 01:17:40 AM PDT

      [ Parent ]

  •  sign suggestion (none / 0)

    Put the sign in your rear side windows of your car and leave your car parked in your driveway.  That way if they dare smash a window, the police will have to intervene.  Someone will see them and whammo.  I would put money on it that ole GW is taking signs himself.  I heard he is a collector of political signs.  He has many Clinton/Gore as well as other Texas Democratic signs.  I think it is a fetish.

    Republicans are not a national party anymore.

    by jalapeno on Sat Sep 25, 2004 at 06:00:46 PM PDT

  •  The fascinating (4.00 / 2)

    thing is that, even with the utter hatred for bush, I have never heard of a democrat stealing a bush sign. Besides the fact that touching one might give you syphallis, it's also undemocratic.

    by Rhett on Sat Sep 25, 2004 at 06:14:40 PM PDT

    •  College (none / 1)

      In college (2000 Election), I knew some folks who would steal Bush signs from known College Republican officers.  Heh.

      The road to hell is paved with Good Intentions.

      by JenAtlanta on Sat Sep 25, 2004 at 06:23:09 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

    •  OH! But don't think I don't want to! (none / 0)

      I am now seeing BC04 signs on roadways here and it irks me no end.  If it's public property, can someone just go out and post signs? Then I will need to get me some KE04 signs to put right by them.

      Grrrr.

      Maw, hand me that gun!

      "The force is really rather strong with you, Luke" - Eddie Izzard (I miss you, La 3/5/06)

      by Bexley Lane on Sat Sep 25, 2004 at 06:45:42 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

      •  yes (none / 0)

        If it's public property, can someone just go out and post signs?

        Yes, with some limitations. See the freewayblogger's "Is it legal?" page. Essentially, anyone can post signs on public roadways, but, at least in California, placing a sign within 600 feet of the highway is considered a "visual distraction" and is illegal. I'm unsure whether the rules are different for roadways that aren't highways.

        "Free political speech is absolutely guaranteed under the First Amendment and it is your right as a citizen to post non-commercial signs and banners on state and federal property, with some exceptions."

        by bluephile on Sat Sep 25, 2004 at 07:24:36 PM PDT

        [ Parent ]

        •  The 600ft rule (none / 0)

          was part of the Highway beautification act championed by Lady Bird Johnson...it applies to Interstate (federal) highways.  

          There may be additional laws, but that one prohibits (unofficial) signage w/in 600 ft.

          link to the highway beautification story, with the following delightful quote about the debate in congress (January 1965) over the bill:

          Rep. Robert Dole (R-Kan.) offered an amendment to strike out the term "Secretary of Commerce" wherever it appeared and insert the words "Lady Bird"--apparently an implication that the First Lady is in charge of the operation. He lost by a voice vote.

          --------
          Please don't bite the heads off the chocolate Elvises.

          by PBJ Diddy on Sat Sep 25, 2004 at 08:32:44 PM PDT

          [ Parent ]

    •  out in rural whatcom county (none / 0)

      in northwestern washington state, east of bellingham, i saw a lot of those gigantic bush signs. each one was punched in, although the local/state republican were untouched. our side can give it as good as it gets, at times.

      surf putah, your friendly neighborhood central valley samizdat

      by wu ming on Sat Sep 25, 2004 at 08:45:45 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

    •  umm... (none / 0)

      i definitely know someone who has been stealing B/C signs.  this person got something like 30 signs in one night a few weeks ago (in a swing state).  when i suggested it might be wrong to steal, they said they were only picking up litter.  they've promised me that they will stop, & instead be putting flyers on B/C stickered cars.  it's a compromise that won't lead to me having to post bail for anyone.

      by gothmom on Sun Sep 26, 2004 at 01:00:40 AM PDT

      [ Parent ]

    •  2 months ago (none / 0)

      All the Bush signs in the eastern half of my ward got pulled up, slashed and thrown in the gutter. It was an embarrassment to many of us in the Dem majority.

      -8.00,-3.69

      by pHunbalanced on Sun Sep 26, 2004 at 11:45:51 AM PDT

      [ Parent ]

  •  Same here (none / 0)

    I live in a small town west of Dayton, OH, and the
    same thing is going on here - 4 Kerry signs are missing on the street next to mine. There was also an article about Kerry signs being stolen in the Dayton Daily News.

    by OhioDave on Sat Sep 25, 2004 at 06:14:41 PM PDT

  •  Chill out dude (1.12 / 24)

    Take your medicine.

    If you have got a boss, you need a union. Read www.purpleocean.org/blog/

    by BartBoris on Sat Sep 25, 2004 at 06:34:35 PM PDT

  •  Lose the .22 (4.00 / 5)

    Assault weapons are now legal, again. Don't be the last person in your county with an AK-47, or at least an Uzi.

    Next Saturday sit in your pickup bed with a machine gun, wearing a black beret and a camo outfit, next to your American flag and your Kerry sign.

    The moral arc of the universe is long, but it bends towards justice. - Martin Luther King, Jr.

    by easong on Sat Sep 25, 2004 at 06:45:02 PM PDT

  •  How interesting (none / 0)

    I remember reading a right-winger's blog where he suggested that Republicans were afraid to put up Bush-Cheney signs because they feared angry liberals would vandalize their property.

    "But Democrats mustn't give up the fight. What's at stake isn't just the fate of their party, but the fate of America as we know it."-Paul Krugman

    by theprogressivemiddle on Sat Sep 25, 2004 at 06:53:02 PM PDT

    •  Projection by Republicans (again) (4.00 / 2)

      Can't some psychologist who posts on this site do an analysis of the amazing level of projection I see by Republicans from Bush and Cheney all the way down to the rank and file?

      Everything that they accuse Kerry and the Democrats of -- "flip-flopping", no track record with national security, spending like there's no tomorrow, bad with the economy, being "soft" on terrorists, etc. -- is actually true of them for anyone who bothers to look at the facts and ignore the rhetoric.

      Of course, the rhetoric is what they're counting on to win the election, and projection of one's own faults onto one's opponents is a pretty good campaign strategy, particularly when you know that the media (with the exception of "The Daily Show") will never call you on it.

      I do sometimes wonder, though, particularly with a non-introspective idiot like Bush (as opposed to the utterly evil Darth Cheney), whether perhaps he is so out of touch with reality that he actually believes the projection of his own faults and sins onto Kerry?

      I do not suffer fools gladly

      by GreekGirl on Sat Sep 25, 2004 at 09:09:35 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

  •  Fire it in the air (none / 0)

    then call the cops.

    Don't take any shit off the bastards. This is our goddamned country too.

    I have been reading about this stuff in increasing frequency for days. They are vandalizing houses in Madison, NC.

    These people are  vandals. If they get away with stealing and tearing up signs it will only be worse nest time.

    by Redst3 on Sat Sep 25, 2004 at 06:53:09 PM PDT

    •  Not with a .22 (4.00 / 2)

      Damn things go a long way.  Odds are with you it doesn't hit someone, but people have been killed by weapons fired in the air.  

      How about instead, put one of those battery powered hotel door alarms on it and give them the fright of their life.  Add a motion light below it pointing straight up and it's even better.

      Maybe it'll turn out to be a cranky old Zell Miller type off his meds and his ticker will give out.  Serve them right and you'll have a clear conscience.

      IOKIYAR! They believe markets and competition solve everything AND that the universe is centrally planned.

      by No One No Where on Sat Sep 25, 2004 at 09:16:10 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

    •  NO PLAYING WITH GUNS! (4.00 / 4)

      Please don't fire it in the air. '.22' rounds can travel a mile or more. What goes up WILL come down Fast! Not as fast as when it's fired of course, but it might be moving 100 mile per hour or more.

      Fast enough to punch through someone's skull or shoulder I think. Or through someone's skylight. Neither one is too cool.

      As a Life Member of the NRA I must implore you not to fire any kind of warning shots or demonstration shots. Please download a copy of the NRA safe firearms handling rules (available on their website), and memorize them before, taking your firearm outside.

      As a fellow Democrat I implore you not to fire OR brandish your rifle because some jackass may come back with a more powerful weapon and blow you away. That kind of crap happens, unfortunately.

      -Please don't brandish firearms in public (including your driveway).
      -Always obey local firearms ordinances.
      -Do not fire into the air or the ground. This is dangerous and most likely illegal in your town.

      ....Listen to Ded Prez....

      by Manix on Sat Sep 25, 2004 at 10:10:21 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

  •  make your own on poster board and (none / 0)

    put the sucker in your window.  

    "The way the loser loses will determine whether the winner wins in November." -- Rahm Emanuel

    by Newsie8200 on Sat Sep 25, 2004 at 06:56:53 PM PDT

  •  Dude, (4.00 / 7)

    Can you, uh, get me one of those Weed signs?  

    What's the difference between Iraq and Vietnam? Bush knew how to get out of Vietnam.

    by glibfidget on Sat Sep 25, 2004 at 07:27:09 PM PDT

  •  I read this in a book once... (4.00 / 3)

    I think it was a suggestion by G. Gordon Liddy in Will...

    Get some DMSO, which is a penetrating solution they sell in health food stores.  Mix some Windowpane Acid into it, and smear it all over the shaft of the sign.

    It won't keep them from stealing it, but it's just fun to think about.

    by Dumbo on Sat Sep 25, 2004 at 07:35:53 PM PDT

    •  Either that or (none / 0)

      dog poo would work nicely as well.  

      Won't make you many friends, but then again, if they want to sneak & steal a sign, then they know it's not morally right. So chances are, they won't call you out on it since they won't want to out their bad behaviour. =)

      History does not always repeat itself. Sometimes it just yells 'Can't you remember anything I told you?' and lets fly with a club.

      by beffistador on Sat Sep 25, 2004 at 07:41:02 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

    •  Uhhhh..... (4.00 / 2)

      Get some DMSO, which is a penetrating solution they sell in health food stores.  Mix some Windowpane Acid into it, and smear it all over the shaft of the sign.

      Just exactly where will those signs be posted?

      "Same shit, Different Nixon." - Driftglass

      by roxtar on Sat Sep 25, 2004 at 07:58:21 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

    •  acid absorbs into the skin (none / 1)

      all right, just by itself, as a law school classmate of mine learned to his chagrin when a group of us went to the racetrack and unbeknownst to us, he had a baggie full in his pocket that he kept checking w/ his hand.  Before the end of the day, we had to help him home.

      Iraq is Arabic for Vietnam

      by moe99 on Sat Sep 25, 2004 at 09:54:28 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

  •  On my block (none / 0)

    In 2000, my precinct in a town of 15,000 60 miles east of Kansas City was won by Gore by 50 votes.

    On my block there are six Kerry signs and no Bush signs.  Two weeks ago two signs were thrown across the street and one completely disappeared.  A couple of signs I have place elsewhere in my two have disappeared.  

    I don't think this is part of a campaign, just stupid Bush supporters.  

    Wer kämpft, kann verlieren. Wer nicht kämpft, hat schon verloren. Bertolt Brecht

    by MoDem on Sat Sep 25, 2004 at 07:54:28 PM PDT

  •  I've heard a lot of people complaining about this (4.00 / 2)

    Heres what I would do. Find out who it us, video camera or whatever, no doubt its someone within walking distance. Then go to their house with a can of spray paint and turn their garage door into a Kerry/Edwards sign.

    Shameless Plug: Check out my band Losers of the Year we rock if I do say so myself.

    by DeanDemocrat on Sat Sep 25, 2004 at 07:58:53 PM PDT

  •  I'm thinking (none / 0)

    you should set up those signs, somehow, so when they're yanked out of the ground they burst into flames.

    Oh, what if you did that AND had some kind of battery powered thingy that made a loud thunder sound at the same time as the the signs are burning their palms. They'll think it's GOD exacting his vengance on them!

    ....Listen to Ded Prez....

    by Manix on Sat Sep 25, 2004 at 09:51:37 PM PDT

  •  Second week in a row (none / 0)

    We live in the southwest metro area of the twin cities. Our precinct is predominantly Repoupincan, but there are many more KerryEdwards lawn signs (about 3 to 1).  For the second weekend in a row, they were vandalized --on our street alone 4 of the 6 signs were removed or destroyed.  The lone Bush sign of course stood unharmed.

    by CSTAR on Sat Sep 25, 2004 at 10:08:58 PM PDT

  •  Nail biter... literally. (none / 0)

    Use that stuff they give nail-biters all over the posts of your signs.

    Or smear motor oil or tar all over the posts and on the edges of the sign.  Gum it up real good.

    (Says the owner of a 1/4 size Kerry sign sitting in her 2nd story apartment window, safe from harm)

    More accurately "A Texan in Bavaria," but would YOU give up UID 422?

    by A Texan in Maryland on Sat Sep 25, 2004 at 10:37:58 PM PDT

  •  Smear vaseline (none / 0)

    on the edges. Write a note on the side in small letters to be read only very closely: "Contact  poison. Go to your doctor immediately for treatment." Let them explain to a doctor or nurse why they thought it was poison when it's obviously harmless vaseline on their finger tips.

    Thrice is he armed who hath his quarrel just. Sherlock Holmes.

    by Carnacki on Sat Sep 25, 2004 at 11:22:27 PM PDT

  •  They have things that spray watter at animals.. (none / 0)

    that are motion sensitive for gardens and such.  If you have a really long hose that might be fun.

    We Glory in war, in the shedding of human blood. What fools we are.

    by delver rootnose on Sat Sep 25, 2004 at 11:46:56 PM PDT

  •  I have a sign that says (none / 0)

    "Trespassers who are here at night will still be here in the morning", with a picture of a revolver.

    I was thinking about putting that next to my Kerry/Edwards sign.

    My neighbors have seen me loading my rifle and pistol cases into the car...

    Finally, I made a similar comment on another thread and got this reply to my comment:

    Such comments could be used to discredit the cause and/or this website.  Also, it could be used as evidence to shut the website down.  Under Ashcroft, that IS a possibility.

    Bullshit.

    We'll say what we want.  It's not like we're THREATENING ANYONE.

    </rant>


    There is only one "bug killer" that will work on "Oil Maggots"-- Hydrogen. -- edscan

    by Plutonium Page on Sun Sep 26, 2004 at 12:36:18 AM PDT

  •  sorry to hear about the sign (none / 0)

    the same thing happened to me earlier this week.  there are some great suggestions in there regarding how to deal with it, so i thought i'd leave a link.

    i ended up getting the sign back.  apparently one of my neighbors took it.

    John Cornyn is an asshole with shoes. Support Rick Noriega!

    by anna on Sun Sep 26, 2004 at 10:40:46 AM PDT

Permalink | 67 comments