"grinder" <thomgrs@earthlink.invalid> wrote in message
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"Ken [NY)" <email@isBelow.Text> wrote in message
news:u8ram0daa4sn17h7dst85uphaua6nbht0b@4ax.com...

October 07, 2004, 8:52 a.m.
Climate of Fear
Some Bush supporters say they fear for their property.

Doesn't surprise me. If you are a scaredy cat you are probably a
bush
supporter.

it's a good idea to vandalize those piggie bush supporter's SUVs.

"grinder" <thomgrs@earthlink.invalid> wrote in message
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"Ken [NY)" <email@isBelow.Text> wrote in message
news:u8ram0daa4sn17h7dst85uphaua6nbht0b@4ax.com...

October 07, 2004, 8:52 a.m.
Climate of Fear
Some Bush supporters say they fear for their property.

Doesn't surprise me. If you are a scaredy cat you are probably a bush
supporter.

No, we bring the fight to you.

--
---
jaybird
---
I am not the cause of your problems.
My actions are the result of your actions.
Your life is not my fault.

"grinder" <thomgrs@earthlink.invalid> wrote in message
news:Atf9d.8592$M05.5342@newsread3.news.pas.earthlink.net...

"Ken [NY)" <email@isBelow.Text> wrote in message
news:u8ram0daa4sn17h7dst85uphaua6nbht0b@4ax.com...

October 07, 2004, 8:52 a.m.
Climate of Fear
Some Bush supporters say they fear for their property.

Doesn't surprise me. If you are a scaredy cat you are probably a bush
supporter.

No, we bring the fight to you.

jaybird
---
I am not the cause of your problems.
My actions are the result of your actions.
Your life is not my fault.

"Tob Banal" <tboanl@socal.rr.com> wrote in message
news:eFh9d.8019$nj.4209@newssvr13.news.prodigy.com...

I cut off a beat up Volvo today that had a Bush sticker. The guy hit a

tree

and creased his right front bumper. Good fun I tell you.

If you had killed the poor soul you peobably would have done a dance on his
body.
This is the mindset of Kerry supporters, kill or attempt to kill yhose who
do not support you.

The exact attitude of their traitor leader in his mindless assault on
America and our troops during the Nam war. Kerry should be locked up for
treason rather then running
for President. How sad the party of Truman,Jackson, Stevenson and Kennedy
has become.

"Ken [NY)" <email@isBelow.Text> wrote in message
news:u8ram0daa4sn17h7dst85uphaua6nbht0b@4ax.com...

October 07, 2004, 8:52 a.m.
Climate of Fear
Some Bush supporters say they fear for their property.

Blogger Robert Musil suggests that a climate of fear has descended
upon Republicans in at least some parts of the country. Based in Los
Angeles, Musil says most Republicans he's spoken with are afraid to
put Bush-Cheney bumper stickers on their cars, or signs on their
lawns, for fear of physical retaliation from angry liberals. The
problem is not symmetrical, says Musil. Stickers and signs for Kerry
are widespread in Republican neighborhoods. Yet even in their own
communities, Republicans are holding back. Intrigued by Musil's claim,
I put up a post on NRO's blog, The Corner, asking for reader comment.
I was quickly flooded with nearly 300 e-mails, almost all of them
backing Musil. Here is the story they told.

There is a climate of fear. Again and again, Corner readers say
they've been scared off of posting bumper stickers by visions of
having their cars keyed or their windows smashed. A typical comment:
"Putting a Bush-Cheney sticker on my car would be like adding a
bulls-eye that says, 'Please vandalize my truck.'" A reader from
Arlington, Va., who lives just a few blocks from national Bush-Cheney
headquarters, says he was not afraid to use bumper stickers in 1996 or
2000, but wouldn't do so this year. Bush lawn signs are feared, not
only as an invitation to vandalism, but because they might permanently
alienate neighbors. A man whose wife was handicapped and dependent on
neighbors in case of emergency was wary of starting a neighborhood
"war" with a sign. This was a common worry among Bush supporters, even
in less dire circumstances.

Are the fears justified? They seem to be. On Tuesday there was a
report that several shots had been fired into Bush-Cheney headquarters
in Knoxville, Tenn., shattering glass. And late Tuesday evening came a
report that protesters had ransacked a Bush-Cheney headquarters in
Orlando, Florida. But these are only the most dramatic examples of a
broader trend. Plenty of folks told me that their cars had been keyed,
dented, or had windows smashed in for carrying a Bush-Cheney bumper
sticker. Nasty notes left on the windshield are common. And some
drivers get cut off in traffic and flipped off by cars sporting Kerry
bumper stickers. One fellow said a couple of young guys pulled up next
to his 64-year-old mother's car and signaled her to roll the window
down. When she did, they screamed, "Bush is a F**king MORON!"

Apparently, Bush-Cheney cars are routinely keyed in places like
liberal Seattle. And liberal Bethesda, Md., has reportedly seen a rash
of spray-paintings of Bush yard signs (with Kerry signs left in tact).
One pro-Bush family in liberal West L.A. had its yard sign stolen six
times. Theft, spray paint, or just tearing to shreds are the weapons
of choice against yard signs, but one Bush-Cheney sign was actually
set on fire. Even in conservative Idaho, Bush-Cheney cars get keyed.
And in conservative Houston, parking while visiting a friend in the
liberal midtown section can mean a keyed car. Apparently, these
attacks are so common that you can now buy a T-Shirt with a picture of
a slashed-out Bush-Cheney logo and the legend, "A person of tolerance
and diversity keyed my car."

The fear of violence leads many couples into serious debate. A stolen
Bush-Cheney yard sign in liberal Cherry Hill, N.J., prompted one
couple to think long and hard before replacing it. Would a rock
through the window be next? "You can't hide where you live once you
make a mark of yourself," said the husband. (But they did replace the
sign.) One woman hints that although her husband called her "paranoid"
for deciding against a bumper sticker, he may secretly be relieved at
her choice.

Several readers noted that Kerry bumper stickers seem to show up
mostly on Mercedes, BMWs, and other "high-end Euro-steel," while
Bush-Cheney cars are more modest American models. But at least part of
the reason for this could be that Bush supporters are afraid to put
stickers on new or expensive cars. Some families with two cars
restrict the Bush-Cheney sticker to the beat-up old family van,
keeping it off the better car.

Bush-sign protection is an art. Lots of folks report putting signs
inside home and car windows, facing out. Magnetized car signs can be
removed for safety when parking, and Bush yard signs can be stored in
the garage at night. One fellow makes sure to park with his bumper
facing a wall. Some Bush supporters have responded to thefts by
covering signs in chicken wire or putting them behind fences. But
these tactics don't always work.

The most effective strategy seems to be hanging the signs high on
trees, or high on a house. But this can be countered by malicious
graffiti on the door, which one family has to clean off daily. The
best tactic may have been this note, taped to the back of a yard sign:
"Thanks! Your theft of this sign will result in a replacement sign and
an additional donation of $10 to the RNC. Your contribution is
appreciated."

So are those too afraid to use stickers and signs just a bunch of
political girly-men? A couple of tough guys said as much to their more
timid compatriots: "What kind of wussy are you? I say Bring It On!"
But most of the people who wrote in argued that it isn't cowardice to
worry about damage to a car that can't be protected when parked.
Several people said they'd started sporting Bush T-shirts and caps
instead of bumper stickers, because Kerry supporters won't try
anything to their face. Readers who do decide to use stickers or signs
despite the risks feel courageous. Some folks feel a sense of relief
each and every time they return to an undamaged car.

Many Bush supporters avoid the whole problem by adopting a flag
strategy. American flags, yellow ribbons, and signs saying "Support
our troops" function in many places as proxies for Bush-Cheney signs.
One reader noted that none of the homes with Kerry signs on his street
display American flags. Other readers say they intentionally use the
flag as a proxy. Usually this is safe. But apparently in Seattle, even
an American flag can provoke arguments and rude looks. One Seattle
neighborhood seems to display U.N. flags and stickers more often than
Old Glory. (I guess that meets the "global test.")

Is the violence really unequal? Corner readers sure think so, but it's
tough to know for certain when your sample consists of Bush partisans.
Still, Corner readers point to repeatedly defaced Bush-Cheney signs in
areas where Kerry signs go untouched. Clearly, there is at least some
violence against Kerry signs. One reader said that in Columbus, Ohio,
the virtual epicenter of this year's campaign, sign violence seems to
be about equal. The most frightened Corner readers by far are those
who live in or pass through university towns. Yet one reader from the
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee reports that at least some liberal
professors there feel sheepish about displaying their support for
Kerry. Still, the repeated message of Corner readers is that property
damage is inflicted on Bush supporters at far higher levels than on
Kerry supporters. The asymmetry is attributed partly to the general
willingness of those on the left to protest, but mostly to the depths
of liberal Bush hatred.

Several readers complained about local news stories that hyped minor
attacks on Kerry signs while ignoring the more pervasive violence
against Bush supporters. Then there's the question of which side's
attacks are meaner. The only direct assault on a Kerry supporter
described to me was a fellow who's Kedwards sign earned him a couple
of frozen waffles on his front porch. Now, I wouldn't hurl waffles
myself, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't think the waffle stunt was
a great prank. Even when the Bushies strike, they seem to do it more
in humor than in anger.

Pervasive liberal vitriol against the president has convinced some
Bush supporters that they are in danger. Anti-Bush signs and graffiti
seem to be at least as common as pro-Kerry signs. The slogans range
from "Bushit," to "Bush is a Stupid A** Moron," to bumper stickers
that substitute Bush/Hitler or Bush/Satan for Bush/Cheney.

This brings us to what I call "the mechanism of intimidation." It
seems that either past violence or present incivility has the power to
intimidate. Several Washington state readers pointed to memories of
the violence at the Seattle World Trade Organization protests some
years ago as a reason why they would not display a Bush-Cheney bumper
sticker. A couple of California readers pointed to violence against
conservatives on the Berkeley campus as a reason to hold back.

But overwhelmingly, those who were reluctant to put up Bush-Cheney
stickers or signs said that the "rabid" nature of this year's
Bush-hatred had convinced them that showing their support for the
president was no longer safe. Apparently, in addition to all the keyed
cars and bumper stickers, many city stop signs have been painted to
read "Stop Bush." More than one reader said that people who deface
city property can't be trusted to refrain from violence against
private cars. One correspondent had an eloquent take on the mechanism
of intimidation:

...a number of neighborhood Kerry supporters have taken to putting
hand written signs on their lawns. They do not threaten violence but
manage to cross that invisible line of good taste and
neighborliness.... That is, they insult the president personally and
by association those who support him.

In the past, an unwritten rule seemed to apply to yard signs. Any
neighbor was free to express his support for the candidate of his
choice in a tasteful yard sign without having it affect personal
friendships. But tactics seeming to violate the unwritten rule are now
widely practiced: using insulting handmade signs, planting multiple
signs at a single household and placing signs on property lines to
make it appear as if neighbors also support Kerry-Edwards. In my
mind's eye, this behavior suggests that the Kerry-Edwards supporters
are so invested emotionally in the contest that they are willing - no
eager - to alienate their neighbors.

This is what has created the climate of fear.

Why do Kerry supporters feel free to vandalize Bush signs and damage
the property of the president's supporters? Corner readers agree that
it's the liberal feeling of moral superiority that "puts them above
the law and gives them leave to abridge the rights of others." Another
typical comment was: "There's nothing more intolerant than a tolerant
liberal." One reader called for an amendment to Voltaire's classic
statement of liberal tolerance: "I may disagree with what you say, but
I'll sneak onto your yard in the middle of the night to steal your
sign, you fascist *****."

With all the problems, the tide may be turning. A number of readers
report that Bush signs are now proliferating. According to one, they
"sprouted like dandelions" after the Republican convention. That may
mean even more vandalism and violence as we head toward election day.
But this is unlikely to help Kerry.

First, there's the cocoon effect. A number of readers said that the
mainstream-media message that it's politically incorrect to favor the
president means polls may actually undercount Bush support. Liberals
are shocked when the president garners majority support, because they
don't know anyone who agrees with him. Yet the truth is that liberal
vitriol has simply made the many Bush supporters in their midst go
underground.

Anti-Bush violence is a weak and ultimately counterproductive tactic.
It is the opposite of Tocqueville's famous "tyranny of the majority."
The tyranny of the majority works chiefly through mental intimidation.
It frightens and silences by its pervasiveness, and its implicit
threat of ostracism. As Tocqueville said, the tyranny of the majority
leaves the body and goes for the soul. There is a touch of this in the
reluctance of Bush supporters to alienate the neighbors upon whom they
depend. But for the most part, the anti-Bush violence leaves the soul
and goes for the body (even if it's the body of a car). That is not
the tyranny of the majority. It is the rage of a minority, and it can
only stir resentment and provoke a reaction at the voting booth. As
one Corner reader said: "We may fear retaliation for putting stickers
on our cars, but our voice will be heard loud and clear on November
2."



Good morning. Or as John Kerry would say, Bonjour.

Ken (NY)

"I think it was the right decision to disarm Saddam Hussein, and when
the President made the decision, I supported him, and I support the fact
that we did disarm him."
--John F. Kerry (ABC News, 5/4/03)

"I thought that John Kerry's statement in his announcement
address, that he voted for the resolution just to threaten
Saddam Hussein, was unbelievable. It was clearly an authorization
for President Bush to use force against Saddam. We don't
need a waffler in charge of our country's future."
--Senator Joe Lieberman

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