Lawn Signs - what's the deal?

kach22i · kach22i's Garage

About four times my lawn signs have been messed with, first Howard Dean, and now John Kerry. Torn up, knocked down and so forth. It's not the squirrels (they do like to stand/play on them at times but no damage), most of the time I've assumed it's drunk students late at night (live in college town).

I had to laugh when I read this article....................................some kind of Rocky Mountain Justice.

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/election/article/0,1299,DRMN_36_3264139,00.html
For sign pilferer, politicians aren't only ones falling flat on their face

By Lynn Bartels, Rocky Mountain News
October 19, 2004

A Lakewood Republican stealing campaign signs late one night got nabbed when he ran across a low- hanging driveway chain, fell face first onto a pilfered sign and the concrete and knocked himself unconscious.

Randal Wagner, 50, was loaded into an ambulance, treated at Lutheran Medical Center for abrasions and facial cuts and issued a summons.

dd74 · 10-21-2004, 07:56 AM

Down the street from me, I can say it's definitely not the squirrels, or the ferocious cats or the errant coyote that slit apart the neighbor's Kerry/Edwards sign. This has been happening on the next block and the block after that.

So what's next? Spraypainting the Star of David on certain front doors.

azasadny · azasadny's Garage

NPR had a story last week about political signs being stolen and an idiot sheriff said "there's been sporadic stealing of political signs, but we expect that to taper off after the election". Ya think?!!!!

kach22i · kach22i's Garage

Quote:

Originally posted by azasadny
an idiot sheriff said "there's been sporadic stealing of political signs, but we expect that to taper off after the election"

Well, he's an elected official that carries a gun, so the man (or woman) is a freak'n genius.

needapcar · 10-21-2004, 09:13 AM

you have freedom of speech as long as you agree with everyone else. you know how it is

.

that story is pretty funny though.

concentric · 10-21-2004, 09:22 AM

What's really strange about this election is that I don't see these signs anywhere... In 2000, they were everywhere. We had some fun making some signs that said:

Gush/Bore 2000
Republicrats for a New America

and putting those up next to the "legit" ones. Now you'd be hard pressed to find a lawn sign.

JCM

dd74 · 10-21-2004, 09:29 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by concentric
Now you'd be hard pressed to find a lawn sign.

I think it's because people are afraid to voice their opinion (and political leaning) these days.

If one says they're Democrat, they're labeled a liberal, if not that almost a communist. If one comes out to Hollywood and says "I'm Republican," they're called Fascist. Who wants to go through that crap?

mattdavis11 · 10-21-2004, 09:39 AM

It's really pretty simple, put the Kerry-Edwards sign in your backyard. Mine hasn't been stolen yet, and it gives our male dog something to aim at.

304065 · 10-21-2004, 12:13 PM

Hmm, sounds like it's time for a lawsuit for negligence against the homeonwner and his insurance policy. The chain, after all, is a known hazardous condition that is likely to result in personal injury. . .

concentric · 10-21-2004, 12:19 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by dd74
I think it's because people are afraid to voice their opinion (and political leaning) these days.

If one says they're Democrat, they're labeled a liberal, if not that almost a communist. If one comes out to Hollywood and says "I'm Republican," they're called Fascist. Who wants to go through that crap?

We hate our freedoms, to turn a phrase.

JCM

Overpaid Slacker · 10-21-2004, 01:05 PM

Kach --
If you've got one of those motion-sensitive lights, train it on the sign and connect it to a siren. That or sprinkle beartraps liberally (like I need to tell you to do something "liberally"

) around the sign.

We had a similar series of events at school. For months, any posters put up for Federalist Society events were torn down or defaced, and the Federalist society bulletin board (a physical corkboard bulletin board) was strewn with nasty messages. The admin had a {shrug} "kids will be kids" attitude -- this is in LAW school, mind you. So we lived w/ it and just put up more posters.

Then one (1!) BALSA poster (Black Law Student Org) is taken down and Hell breaks loose. Blah blah blah censorship! Blah blah blah racism! Blah blah blah heads will roll! All kinds of righteousness, indignation, etc. etc. Turns out a BALSA member had taken the poster down to change a date on it or something.

The fascist intolerance of liberal "thinkers" is something I've lived through, especially in akademia. Not that this excuses someone stealing your signs, but there's no lock on this moronic behavior by the right, and it seems much better "tolerated" when it's the left pulling this crap. $.02

Besides, if you have a sign up, you'll be easier to identify for "re-education" after Bush's landslide re-election when he decides, hey, if they're going to call me a Nazi every single chance they get, why not act like one and round up the bastards. I'll send you smokes when you're on the inside.

JP

concentric · 10-21-2004, 01:29 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Overpaid Slacker
Besides, if you have a sign up, you'll be easier to identify for "re-education" after Bush's landslide re-election when he decides, hey, if they're going to call me a Nazi every single chance they get, why not act like one and round up the bastards. I'll send you smokes when you're on the inside.

JP

kach22i · kach22i's Garage

Lost another lawn sign.............get a life.

On the up side I had seven people helping me do a lit drop on Sunday. It took less than a hour with all the help - 200 more households given hope.

Next weekend we are doing the whole city in mass - look out it's the Democrats.

Jared at Pelican Parts · 10-25-2004, 07:59 AM

Freedom of choice is what you got
Freedom from choice is what you want

Overpaid Slacker · 10-25-2004, 09:47 AM

Kach, when will you be out littering the city w/ your propaganda? The sign stealer might be Pelican and would appreciate knowing when you're not home.

To be creative the stealer could replace your sign with one contrary to your political views. Or run around the neighborhood, swapping one neighbor's sign for another...

JP

Milu · 10-25-2004, 10:08 AM

kumma · 10-25-2004, 11:25 AM

As a screen printer who at one time printed political signs all I can say is I hope people keep stealing those signs so the printers get more work. Business sure sucks now and we need all the help we can get.

Just go to the local democratic party place and pick up a handful to replace the ones being stolen.

All joking aside I have witnessed the same person on 2 occasions taking down kerry signs in my community. This election has really brought out the worst in everyone.

dd74 · 10-25-2004, 11:51 AM

Personally, I condone all thievery of lawn gnomes. Little buggers represent only evil. Only evil are those little buggers...

mattdavis11 · 10-25-2004, 12:04 PM

Cement the sign in a bucket and then dig a hole and cement the bucket in the ground, if you care that much about it. I've never seen so much ruckus about a free sign. I used to nail em in when I was 5yrs or so old. Geez.

mattdavis11 · 12:54 PM

I'm sorry to hear that. You get snookered everytime. "For a mere $3.00 Mr. LynnsABC'S, we can have a new one up with in the hour." IMHO, my lawn is a host to advertising, free at that. If they want the space, give me a new sign for free. Maybe it's the approach they take in opening up your wallet for a contribution again, that loses me. You will lose my vote that way, pretty simple.

I don't condone the thieft, as I've replaced way too many signs at no expense to the home owner.