Vandalising Election Signs

[BC_chick]

The following post has been edited to abide by forum rules:

For the last little while I've been getting really upset whenever I saw election signs kicked down or defaced. At first I noticed that NDP and LPC signs right next to each other would be kicked down, but the CPC ones would be standing. I reminded me of the 2004 American presidential campaign where the conservatives were the angriest bunch of winners I ever saw.

I guess the revenge started, and my team (the anything but Harper group) started with the nonsense as well. I started noticing CPC signs defaced, it angered me just the same as when I saw NDP or LPC signs being destroyed.

But now some political loonies have gone way too far. Today I read in the news that innocent supporters were targeted in the Toronto area for having LPC signs in their lawns and some of them had their car brakes tampered with!

That's attempted murder! And for what? For supporting the LPC?!?

http://www.edmontonsun.com/canadavotes/new...05/6986751.html

This is ridiculous. This type of behaviour is completely unacceptable in a civilised society.

Is this really what some people in the non-liberal party-bases are about? Attempting to terrorise and kill those who disagree with them? Wow!

Edited October 5, 2008 by BC_chick

[blueblood]

For the last little while I've been getting really upset whenever I saw election signs kicked down or defaced. At first I noticed that NDP and LPC signs right next to each other would be kicked down, but the CPC ones would be standing. I reminded me of the 2004 American presidential campaign where the conservatives were the angriest bunch of winners I ever saw.

I guess the revenge started, and my team (the anything but Harper group) started with the nonsense as well. I started noticing CPC signs defaced, it angered me just the same as when I saw NDP or LPC signs being destroyed.

But now the Haperloonies have gone way too far. Today I read in the news that innocent supporters were targeted in the Toronto area for having LPC signs in their lawns and some of them had their car brakes tampered with. That's attempted murder! And for what? Not freaking supporting Harper?!?

http://www.edmontonsun.com/canadavotes/new...05/6986751.html

This is ridiculous. This type of behaviour is completely unacceptable in a civilised society.

Is this really what some people in the conservative base are about? Attempting to terrorise and kill those who disagree with them? Wow!

People in glass houses shouldn't be casting stones. The Liberals are just as guilty.

[BC_chick]

People in glass houses shouldn't be casting stones. The Liberals are just as guilty.

What are you talking about? As I said, I do not accept defacing and/or destroying election signs from either side of the spectrum.

But when have non-conservatives attempted to KILL others by tampering with their car brakes?!? You've got to be kidding me if you are comparing attempted murder to defacing election signs!

[independent]

People in glass houses shouldn't be casting stones. The Liberals are just as guilty.

None of the parties should resort to vandalism. That is not a political issue. It is simply wrong for anyone to resort to those types of tactics.

[BC_chick]

None of the parties should resort to vandalism. That is not a political issue. It is simply wrong for anyone to resort to those types of tactics.

Agreed. But tampering with car brakes is beyond vandalism, this is putting people's lives in jeopardy.

[kengs333]

In all honesty, one would think that this kind of vandalism to cars would be something done by anti-Harper people trying to make it look like something committed by pro-Harper people.

More likely, though, it's probably just a group of punk kids with no real agenda who probably just randomly picked the Liberals for some reason...

I hope there aren't copycats out there in my riding who plan to go after Green Party supporters' signs; I don't think my neighbour's kids would appreciate one of their cars receiving that kind of attention.

[blueblood]

What are you talking about? As I said, I do not accept defacing and/or destroying election signs from either side of the spectrum.

But when have non-conservatives attempted to KILL others by tampering with their car brakes?!? You've got to be kidding me if you are comparing attempted murder to defacing election signs!

Do you have any proof of actually who did it? Do you not know how the justice system works? This could have been anybody, to assume it's automatically conservatives is just flat out lunacy, fear mongering, and hypocracy considering leftists are all about due process.

[independent]

Do you have any proof of actually who did it? Do you not know how the justice system works? This could have been anybody, to assume it's automatically conservatives is just flat out lunacy, fear mongering, and hypocracy considering leftists are all about due process.

Vandalising cars should not be a political issue. Their are nuts in in all parties. I do not believe that canada has digressed too the point that parties are involved in vandalism. Individual lunacy should not change the way people vote.

[BC_chick]

Do you have any proof of actually who did it? Do you not know how the justice system works? This could have been anybody, to assume it's automatically conservatives is just flat out lunacy, fear mongering, and hypocracy considering leftists are all about due process.

Look on these boards - the only vengeful animosity I see toward the LPC is from CPC supporters.

NDP, Green and Liberals are different shades of the same side of the coin... we're all pretty respectful of differing opinions on the left side of the spectrum.

CPC, OTOH, are the opposite side of the coin. Their supporters are in a league of their own when it comes to their feelings toward the LPC, and vice versa, the three of us lefties have similar views about your party.

It's an educated guess based on past behaviours.

Edited October 5, 2008 by BC_chick

[Bryan]

Carolyn Bennett?? I'll be shocked if this turns out to be anything other than her doing the vandalism herself as an attempt to smear the CPC.

[Visionseeker]

Look on these boards - the only vengeful animosity I see toward the LPC is from CPC supporters.

NDP, Green and Liberals are different shades of the same side of the coin... we're all pretty respectful of differing opinions on the left side of the spectrum.

CPC, OTOH, are the opposite side of the coin. Their supporters are in a league of their own when it comes to their feelings toward the LPC, and vice versa, the three of us lefties have similar views about your party.

It's an educated guess based on past behaviours.

By the odds, I would suspect that the perps are more likely to be conservative "supporters". However a statistically driven suspicion is not proof and, even if it were, it wouldn't be fair to paint all CPC supporters as homicidal wing-nuts.

All parties have a history of attracting some of the worst members of society. The Tories might have a little more than their fair share thanks to elements on the ultra-wing of the party, but I think most of the party views these episodes with a measure of abhorrence and disgust equal to your own (the Liberal "Black-Ops" theorists notwithstanding).

Edited October 6, 2008 by Visionseeker

[Slim MacSquinty]

"What are you talking about? As I said, I do not accept defacing and/or destroying election signs from either side of the spectrum.

But when have non-conservatives attempted to KILL others by tampering with their car brakes?!? You've got to be kidding me if you are comparing attempted murder to defacing election signs!"

When has any political party supporter resorted to this sort of thing, not ever that I know of. I have heard of zealots wrecking signs, sometimes their own, but never anything like this, and I doubt this was done by anyone with party affiliation on any side. Much more likely aimless youths.

Trying to make this a partisan issue would be immoral, all parties and their legitimate supporters will find this equally disturbing.

Edited October 6, 2008 by Slim MacSquinty

[BC_chick]

By the odds, I would suspect that the perps are more likely to be conservative "supporters". However a statistically driven suspicion is not proof and, even if it were, it wouldn't be fair to paint all CPC supporters as homicidal wing-nuts.

All parties have a history of attracting some of the worst members of society. The Tories might have a little more than their fair share thanks to elements on the ultra-wing of the party, but I think most of the party views these episodes with a measure of abhorrence and disgust equal to your own (the Liberal "Black-Ops" theorists notwithstanding).

Thank you for acknowledging that the probability is there that this group were CPC "supporters."

WRT you interpreting my educated guess to mean that I am painting all CPC supporter are "homocidal wing-nuts" - I am very sorry if I sounded that way. I am just bewildered that anyone would take their political views to the extent where they would terrorise their neighbours for supporting a particular political party.

Rest assured, if I thought even 1% of CPC supporters were like this bunch, I'd move to a remote island and give up on humanity all together.

Edited October 6, 2008 by BC_chick

[TCCK]

Thank you for acknowledging that the probability is there that this group were CPC "supporters."

WRT you interpreting my educated guess to mean that I am painting all CPC supporter are "homocidal wing-nuts" - I am very sorry if I sounded that way. I am just bewildered that anyone would take their political views to the extent where they would terrorise their neighbours for supporting a particular political party.

Rest assured, if I thought even 1% of CPC supporters were like this bunch, I'd move to a remote island and give up on humanity all together.

My CPC party sign in my front yard was defaced with a terrible vial saying. I will not reveal my riding but the MP they wrote that saying about has a record for being currently the MP with the highest level of integrity in politics. (You could figure out who and here I am if you do some research.) The saying that was written on the sign directed to this MP was clearly the work of a young misinformed vandal that drank some other parties Kool-Aid and it sickened me. I would love 2 hours of that persons time to show him(or her) the truth of this MP and all the good they have down not only here but nationwide.

I have a new sign and it is even bigger and I now have lights on it so it is seen even at night. I'm thinking of posting a larger one if it is damaged again. (Plus I had a camera installed to catch the little scum on tape so he can get a taste of the new justice system after the CPC get that changed.)

[kimmy]

"Car brakes are being cut in Guelph as we speak!"

-Hedy Fry

I will wait to see what the police discover before I jump to conclusions.

-k

[jay22]

The following post has been edited to abide by forum rules:

For the last little while I've been getting really upset whenever I saw election signs kicked down or defaced. At first I noticed that NDP and LPC signs right next to each other would be kicked down, but the CPC ones would be standing. I reminded me of the 2004 American presidential campaign where the conservatives were the angriest bunch of winners I ever saw.

I guess the revenge started, and my team (the anything but Harper group) started with the nonsense as well. I started noticing CPC signs defaced, it angered me just the same as when I saw NDP or LPC signs being destroyed.

But now some political loonies have gone way too far. Today I read in the news that innocent supporters were targeted in the Toronto area for having LPC signs in their lawns and some of them had their car brakes tampered with!

That's attempted murder! And for what? For supporting the LPC?!?

http://www.edmontonsun.com/canadavotes/new...05/6986751.html

This is ridiculous. This type of behaviour is completely unacceptable in a civilised society.

Is this really what some people in the non-liberal party-bases are about? Attempting to terrorise and kill those who disagree with them? Wow!

On another site a couple people said could it be the youth of the liberal party doing this to try and get support.

[Wild Bill]

Perhaps now at least Carolyn Bennett is one Liberal who now appreciates law and order issues!

We don't know yet who committed these acts of attempted murder, but we do know that if caught the legal system will not consider it such. It will be treated as merely public mischief, at least as far as sentencing goes.

And which party is most responsible for that?

[M.Dancer]

First off this is my riding, secondly, I have an alibi.

It is such an outrageous and stupid act that I wouldn't put it past the Liberals to do it themselves. Barring the Liberals what other party would target carbon emitting gas hogs in a wealthy consumer oriented neighbourhood?

[independent]

Perhaps now at least Carolyn Bennett is one Liberal who now appreciates law and order issues!

We don't know yet who committed these acts of attempted murder, but we do know that if caught the legal system will not consider it such. It will be treated as merely public mischief, at least as far as sentencing goes.

And which party is most responsible for that?

Every party appreciates law and order issues. Parties do not agree on how too deal with the problem.

You can legislate all the laws you want but we do not have a judical sytem that takes advantage of the laws we have now.

[guyser]

Why anyone would put up a sign is beyond me. I dont advertise my brand of butter either.

[Topaz]

We never put up sign either and I do have one item that came to my attention. The Cons were putting a sign up and the owner asked them to take it down and the guy said no, that this house is marked to have a sign. The owner asked again to take it down and the guy refused! The owner said please take the sign down I do not support this government and when he wouldn't, the owner asked a a friend who was there to take it down and he proceeded to do so. So then the Con said it against the law to take down the sign. The con left and the sign ended up in the backyard until after election day and then it'll probably end up in the trash.

[eyeball]

I've seen a few trashed signs around my area. A few torn up and thrown in the ditch and kicked over and such. No one seems to be immune but I notice the Conservative signs are all much bigger than everyone else's and the damage seems correspondingly greater - I guess they make a bigger target.

[Slim MacSquinty]

"On another site a couple people said could it be the youth of the liberal party doing this to try and get support. "

That is indeed a posibility and wouldn't be the first time one party or anothers supporters have torn down signs, I've never seen anything like trying to harm someone.

The other possibility is that it is someone with a specific beef with the Liberal party or Ms. Bennet in particular. Like the firefighters memorial that had anti liberal slogans painted all over it, clearly some one with a very specific greavance.

Edited October 6, 2008 by Slim MacSquinty

[JB Globe]

If this were a simple case of signs getting vandalized, than yeah - it would be in the realm of possibility for it to be a frame-job. But somehow I doubt it is a frame job - considering the brake wire cutting on the cars of people, including the car of the Liberal MP's campaign manager, who didn't figure out his brakes were out until he started driving.

As ruthless as any political party is, I highly doubt any one would put their own people's lives at risk to frame another party - OTHER political party's people though? Looks like it's fair game.

[Slim MacSquinty]

I agree, I can't imagine any political operative doing this, even the most wacked out lefties would go this far (I hope).