Today’s MJM is just full of stories about misbehavior and vandalism– basically, people not having respect for other people’s property or other people’s opinions. Major vandalism happened in the Virginia Oaks neighborhood in Gainesville, where spray paint was used to write all sorts of unattractive epithets about Senator McCain on people’s homes. The vandals also spray painted Target, Giant and Best Buy in the nearby shopping center.

Back in Manassas, the vandalism went the other way(see picture above):

Residents in and around the city on Friday lamented that this year’s presidential race has drawn such passion that placards are being destroyed or snatched from yards under the cover of night.
Charlotte Boynton, who’s lived at the corner of Fairview Avenue and Tudor Lane in Ma-nassas for the better part of three decades, erected a handmade sign bearing the message, “Real patriots do not steal signs,” after thieves swiped an Obama-Biden sign from her front lawn.
A Quaker, Boynton had previously put up an anti-Iraq war sign that stated, “War is not the answer.” It fared better than the Democratic candidates’ sign, which she noticed Monday was missing.

Is this vile behavior just kids doing a little pre-Halloween vandalism or is this nastiness rooted in partisanship? I would like to think it is just kids out who need far more supervision. Surely adults don’t think this is the way Americans act or that their candidate will fare a bit better by stealing a yard sign.

72 Thoughts to “Folks Just Need to Behave!”

  1. IVAN

    I know Charlotte. She takes her political views seriously. Be they kids or adults, it’s not funny to her in any way shape or form.

  2. Slowpoke Rodriguez

    I saw this stuff this morning. Couldn’t believe my eyes. I’d bet a year’s salary this is kids, nothing to do with politics. It looks just like what Morris Farm got two months earlier, and the intersection of Glenkirk and Linton Hall Rd. The incidents get more bold as time goes on. This was a bit shocking in scope. As much as I’d like to say that this bears all the signs of an attack of Obama supporters (the F*** McCain and 666/Satan stuff just gives it away), I’m pretty sure this is just kids.

  3. Moon-howler

    Slowpoke, red letter day. I am going to agree with you. Kids. However angry Charlotte gets, it would be nothing compared to how I would feel if this was my house with all the crap over it.

    Kids are stupid about vandalism and don’t cover their tracks well at all. They will be caught and I would like to drive by and see the perps doing community service in that neighborhood until every yard looks like it was manicured with tweezers and there is not even a hint of spray paint.

  4. Moon-howler

    Ivan, I didn’t mean to disrespect Charlotte’s ire. She should be angry. People just need to be respectful of other people’s property. If I had found my kid taking Miss Charlotte’s sign, he would have been doing her yard work for free for about a month.

  5. Slowpoke Rodriguez

    Moon-Howler,

    I have no delusions that we would disagree on everything. Heck, I even had an agreement with KG on the bailout bill. It happens. We have disagreements, but we’re all citizens of PWC and none of us want to see it trashed.

  6. It’s not just kids who steal or vandalize signs. I remember during the Stoffregen/Hill Sheriff’s race that a great deal of that was going on, particularly with Glen’s signs disappearing. It was suspected that Sheriff’s deputies were at fault so, as the police were supporting Glen, they decided to stake out (off-duty, of course) some of the signs that were most vulnerable. I recall a concern being expressed that, with two well-armed groups roaming around at night on the lookout for each other, it would not be impossible for us to be reading about a shoot-out one morning in the papers. By the way, there WAS a number of Sheriff’s deputies involved in unceremonious destroying/removing signs on private property. Kids will be kids…no matter how old they are.

  7. Correction: unceremoniousLY

  8. Chris

    I’m so sick and tired of seeing our community be reflected in such a negative manner. These types of acts would make be think twice before I moved to this community. Why is so hard to respect one’s property and freedom of speech?

    I’ve heard lots of stories of signs being stolen every election in recent years. I grew up in house where we often had opposing candidates signs, and never have had a sign stolen. However, this year my mom is not voting the party she usually does, and she woke up one morning to find a sign in her yard for the party she’s not voting for. I couldn’t believe when I saw this. We did have a good laugh, but the reality is someone trespassed on her property to put the sign there.

    AWC,
    Thanks for sharing that story. That was coming at a time when the two departs weren’t the best to say the least.

  9. DB

    Last night I watched Bill Maher and he had a person( who was imprisoned for some time) who detailed how votes, especially democratic votes could and can be derailed. In todays issue of Time magazine the same sort of tactics were highlighted. It goes way beyond sign issues. Speaking of signs…where are they? In my neighborhood we had more signs during the primaries than we do now. There were more signs during the BOCS election than the presidential election. Go figure.

  10. If these people are really Obama supporters, why not steal the signs while they are at it? Why leave them in?

    Surely the must have known that a photograph such as the one above would be fodder for the McCain enthusiasts.

  11. Censored bybvbl

    I’ll have to agree with Slowpoke on this one – sounds like bored kids.

    DB, I agree that there seems to be a dearth of signs this season. I don’t think they’ve all been stolen or stuck in the yards of voters who support the opposition. I had to travel to Warrenton to get an Obama bumpersticker. (I seldom put up yard signs as no one will see them except the immediate neighbor.)

  12. Chris

    AWC
    Corr: That was coming at a time when the two DEPARTMENTS weren’t the best to say the least.**DELETE THAT**

    That was coming at a time when the two departments weren’t the “best of friends” to say the least.

  13. NotGregLetiecq

    Surprised they didn’t leave a note saying “a six-foot-four black guy who supports Obama did this.”

    Did everyone hear about the Pittsberg lady who carved a backwards “B” in her face and claimed a tall black guy sexually assaulted her and carved the backwards “B” on her cheek while explaining that he supported Obama and objected to her McCain bumper sticker. Right wing fanatics thought this was the political breakthrough they’d been praying for, what with the “victim” being a young white female and all. McCain and Palin both called the lady to make sure the story would have legs.

    Then, when the police asked the lady to explain why the African American man who assaulted her had carved a backwards “B,” she cracked under pressure and admitted she made it up.

  14. Moon-howler

    Anti sure had a different take on these acts of vandalism than the dark screen did. They were all ready to hang Obama supporters up by their…errr….toenails. We don’t know who did this. I would hope that whoever did it would be severely punished by either jail time, fines, restitution, community service or all of the above.
    I prefer to get the facts before I decide ‘who done it.’

  15. NotGregLetiecq

    I hope they catch the culprits. I was offended by the self-mutilating racist. Why did she have to say her imaginary assailant was African American?!!?! Pissed me off. This is a much less offensive stunt (if it is a similar act of desperation/frustration faced with discouraging poll numbers).

  16. NotGregLetiecq

    M-H, could you brave the stanky bathroom for us and tell us if they used the “Backwards B Lying B” to get their hate juices flowing.

  17. Does this stupid crap only happen in PWC??? I’ve never heard of such a thing! Graffiti from kids, yes. Sign stealing amongst ADULTS? What is WRONG with this place? What is it, toxic fumes from Capital Hill poisoning people or what???

  18. Moon-howler

    No reports of backwards B lying B that I am aware of. War drums are sounding over the Gainesville atrocity however. shhhh listen. You can hear them in the distance.

  19. Robb Pearson

    Moon-howler . . .

    I just read a story that had me shaking my head to near cramping.

    http://www.scholarsandrogues.com/2008/10/25/dobsons-election-strategy-focus-on-the-family-fear/

    There’s physical vandalism and then there’s intellectual vandalism. Yet while people are stealing signs and doing other sorts of idiotic acts, this one takes the cake: Ultra-conservative Christian James Dobson’s “Focus on the Family” crew has just engaged in one of the most outrageous acts of intellectual vandalism I’ve ever witnessed.

    Click on the link I just listed above, read the story, and check out the “Letter From 2012 in Obama’s America”. It’s the most hideous form of anti-Obama fear mongering I’ve yet to see.

    And from so-called “Christians”.

    Totally unbelievable.

  20. ShellyB

    Corey Stewart apparently called the vandalism a hate crime and is doing all in his power to get a lot of attention and use the incident to help McCain.

    Now isn’t that special?

  21. Moon-howler

    Why doesn’t Corey Stewart leave the investigation of the crime to the police? It is they who know the laws and have been hired to do this kind of work. I am not sure this constitutes a hate crime. Yes, ShellyB, isn’t that special? [best Church Lady voice]

    http://www.danacarvey.net/media/snl_cl_special.wav

  22. Moon-howler

    Robb, You are right. That Letter from 2012 from Obama’s America is truly vile.

    People I consider Christian could not have written it. I have always had little regard for Dr. James Dobson. He represents everything that is bad about conservative religion mixing with politics. He preverts Christianity and just ends up being a liar.

  23. NotGregLetiecq

    90 minutes of SNL, 3 songs by Cold Play. Zero Tina Fey. Boooooo.

  24. NotGregLetiecq

    Oh, but Cold Play’s lead singer Chris Martin yelled “Barack Obama!” at the end of the third song.

  25. NotGregLetiecq

    And the Barack Obama variety show was pretty funny.

  26. NotGregLetiecq

    If Corey Stewart is so concerned about “hate crimes,” why didn’t he do or say anything when his anti-immigrant grandstanding lured the KKK to Manassas to do lit drops a year ago? The man has a funny definition of hate crime. This was a scam. Wait and see. The vandals will be McCain sour grapes-ers.

  27. Moon-howler

    Saturday night live skits reflecting our very own threads this past week:

    (Aren’t we just tend-setters? snicker snicker)

    http://www.nbc.com/Saturday_Night_Live/video/clips/road-to-the-white-house/787141/
    (Murtha and Biden trying to hurt Obama’s chances)

    http://www.nbc.com/Saturday_Night_Live/video/clips/obama-address/787181/
    (Solid as Barack-Democratic variety half hour)

  28. Censored bybvbl

    I think Corey should be careful of what he says since the chance exists that the vandalism could have been done by nutball McCain supporters – though I’d still bet on kids.

  29. DiversityGal

    I looked over at the other site, and I have to say that I was really disturbed. The thread started with quotes from Corey calling these events terrible acts. In the last paragraph, however, he linked ACORN and “other nuts” to these crimes. Here is what I would have said, if I could still post, that is…

    “I think it is horrible that people defaced property in such a way. I was in agreement with Mr. Stewart…until he made his last addition. ACORN has definitely committed fraudulent acts, but I don’t think it was right for Corey to tie them to these crimes in the press without evidence. He should think before he speaks. Also, I’d love to know what ‘other nuts’ he is talking about, and seems to be tying to these crimes.”

    As I read the posts that followed in the thread, I became increasingly concerned. Many posters were saying that this was typical behavior of Obama voters, that they have no honor, that McCain voters have more manners in general. Do these posters really believe that, in general, Obama supporters are beneath them?

    One poster tried to suggest that this may have been done by McCain supporters to generate sympathy and outrage. I don’t think I really believe that, but it irks me that this poster was attacked for the suggestion. Haven’t some of the same people on the other site suggested that the owner of the Liberty sign vandalized his own property?

    Get a load of these gems:

    “They invented guns to counter this kind of crap from the socialists. It will only take a few being sent home in a box to get the messge out.” – CONVA

    “Welcome to a little glimpse of what it will be like to live in the Marxist/Socialist Thugocracy that we will find ourselves in if Va and NC go blue and don’t stay red.” – Gnarly

    “IT AMAZES ME THAT LIBERALS WANT TO SAY ANYTHING THEY CARE TO BUT STICK A LITTLE MCCAIN SIGN OUT IN YOUR YARD AND IT’S GROUNDS TO PUMMEL SOMEONE OR DESTROY PROPERTY. THIS IS JUST A SMALL SAMPLE OF WHAT WILL COME WHEN WE ARE A SOCIALIST COUNTRY! REMEMBER, PEOPLE HAD THIS KIND OF MENTALITY BACK BEFORE CIVIL RIGHTS…KILL SOMEONE BECAUSE THEY AREN’T LIKE US” – Elliott

    “because alot of people have told me they will have your phone number and your address and if you tell them your voting for McCain something might happen to you or your family” – gazzed

    “McCain/Palin signs are the new lamb’s blood markings of the Passover.” – Chester

    OMG…People really think this way, and are this scared of Barack Obama? I knew there was a lot of fear politics at work, but we’ve gone way beyond being slightly irrational now. These kinds of thoughts from the general public make me sad for my country.

    It is really awful that these crimes happened to McCain supporters…just as it is awful that crimes are happening to Obama supporters. We should be concerned by the behavior in general. I think it is ridiculous to try and officially tie it to either campaign.

  30. DiversityGal

    NGL,

    Excellent point about Corey and hate crimes. I hadn’t even thought about his reaction to the KKK leaflets until you mentioned it. I would love a reporter to ask him just such a question.

  31. DiversityGal

    Oh for lord’s sake…

    I should make myself stop watching, but it is like a train wreck. Somebody just posted some awful racist attempt at dialect concerning what Obama might say to his supporters. Yes, I said it…RACIST. I will not be careful of that poster’s feelings, and will call it for what it is, especially when someone is so willing to offend others in such a manner.

    I have to at least stop looking over there for awhile. I am getting too depressed and upset. Why, why do some people have to be this way????

  32. Censored bybvbl

    DiversityGal, I have a few questions about that post. I wonder if any Velvets will “flag” it. My cursor tells me that the link is from johnmccain . org -minus the spaces. What idiot who supported McCain would use that link after saying what he said? He/she in addition to the racist comment said:

    This is what happens when politically naive, unqualified and inexperienced leaders try to do too much with too little. Or, to be less generous, what happens when Marxism rears it’s vile head in the lamb’s clothing of “Hope” and “Change.” They inflame people to behave like the Brownshirts on Hitler’s Kristal Nacht.

    Is this a justification for Nazi tactics? Oh, I just said the “Nazi” word. I hope the critics have the ability to read comprehensively.

  33. DiversityGal

    Do you think somebody might be posting to make posters on that site look racist? Geez…whoever posted it WAS an idiot, whatever the reason they posted it. I hate it when people do that; they are not doing anyone any favors.

  34. Censored bybvbl

    DiversityGal, if someone is posting loony posts for that reason, his or her posts are melding in with the general tone. I was merely curious enough to hold my cursor over the poster’s name and thought “no way is someone from that campaign that stupid!” Then, on second thought, there was the “B” carver…

  35. NotGregLetiecq

    I can’t wait until they catch the guys and find out they thought it would somehow help McCain’s chances if they offered one more reason to hate all things Obama.

    Problem is, the only people who read BVBL either already hate Obama, or already hate everything in the world, or just drop in from time to time to gawk at people like that.

  36. Witch of Beastwick

    Some mental midget on the hate blog thinks that Satanists are the same as Wiccans. What a dumb ass.

    Some are showing their true colors about Obama. The bad black dialect was especially appealing.

  37. –Corey Stewart apparently called the vandalism a hate crime and is doing all in his power to get a lot of attention and use the incident to help McCain. —

    So Corey disregards the Southern Poverty Law Center and the ADL when they talk about FAIR and their buds HSM in terms of hate groups. But he calls this a hate crime.

    He has more balls than a well-hung bull.

    But fewer brains.

  38. Witch of Beastwick

    Lucky Greg. His blog has been over-run with racists this afternoon. Looks like all new faces. He had better edit some of those posts. It could ruin his good reputation.

  39. BVBL Reports

    And nobody flags this?

    Bickowski said on 26 Oct 2008 at 4:33 pm: Flag comment
    Idiots on both sides of the fence need to be picked up and thrown in jail. My neighbor put up an Obama sign, and two times it was stolen and someone wrote “Kill N*ggers” on her car windows with soap, which is pretty funny, IMO, but it’s still illegal and should be punished.

  40. DiversityGal

    How disgusting!

  41. Nah….BVBL and GL et al aren’t a hate group. Corey must be RIGHT.

  42. Moon-howler

    This entire election is making me sick. I have never seen such a horrid mess as is over on the first thread on the dark screen. Hatefulness, threats, and lots of new folks who are not regular people posting there. Much of the rhetoric is enflamed by the vandalism but it doesn’t stop with the vandalism. It continues on against Democrats, liberals and Obama.

    Now what is the point? The blog owner has spoken out against McCain since forever. I thought that was a pretty stupid thing to do actually. After reading the hatefulness, racism, (and those who know me know I rarely say that) and cruelty, I wonder what some folks will do after the election is over and their guy didn’t win. (Whoever their guy is)

    I never believe believe polls. Polls lie.

  43. BVBLwatcher

    Greg does seem to be attracting some new talent. I have wondered whether he turned some corner a ways back. I mean I think long ago he semi-cared about the tone of at least his own posts most of the time (not always). I think he was invested in seeming to be a reasonable person speaking in a relatively moderate voice. The crazies were his fans, not him, and occasionally he would come down on them. Yes, I remember the infamous dog post etc., and others, but still he appeared to want to be perceived as something else. Now it appears his own material is more consistently out there and he has no problem whatsoever with posters who are openly racist like the “dialect” poster or this Bickowski person who finds the above phrase “funny.” Did anyone else notice what this Bickowski person called Connolly? Now that was really strange.

  44. You what’s really sad? It’s what this incident says about our teens and how they perceive OUR adult behavior in the elections and ins society.

    These kids are mimicking what WE do, the destructive, hateful behavior we incite through what we call “campaigning.” The only difference is, they aren’t doing it on blogs, on the television, or through campaign material.

    Welcome to what OUR OWN SOCIETY has brought upon itself. We have ourselves to blame for this kind of thuggery. We have taught by example. Nice job, adults.

  45. hello

    The funny thing about this is that since it was done to a McCain supporter people here automatically write it off as it HAS to be either one of two things, kids or another McCain supporter to drum up hate for Obama. No way an Obama supporter (over the age of 18) could have done this? Also, it’s not just PWC, it’s been happening all over the place.

  46. hello

    Also, about that quack woman who made up that story of being robbed and having a B carved into her face… It’s funny how when the story first broke the only place you could find it was on drudge and fox news, nothing on NBC, ABC, MSNBC or CNN. However, once it was discovered that she made it up every single one of them had it as their top story.

    Funny how when it’s a true report of an act like this it’s “not newsworthy” but when it is found out to be a crazy person who made it all up it’s all over the place. Take this report for example of a McCain volunteer who had her sign ripped from her, broken, and then hit in the face with it. Nothing on the major news outlets about this one…? If a crazy person making up a story is front page material why isn’t this one of the real thing?

    http://thesilentmajority.wordpress.com/2008/10/16/up-date-on-the-assault-against-a-mccain-manhattan-volunteer/

  47. Moon-howler

    Hello, had it been done to Obama supporters, I would have taken the same approach…it was probably kids because the behavior was juvenile and thug-like. How many adults do YOU personally know who would go around vandalizing houses?

    I don’t see where anyone has suggested that people have done this to themselves. After all, since everyone here supposedly lives in a gated community in Haymarket or Gainesville, wouldn’t that be considered a self-inflicted wound?

    Secondly, there are very few Obama signs in big clumps on this end of the county. It has been almost impossible to get hold of them. They do not exist for the most part.

    I don’t think any of us here know who did this vandalism. If we did, we would be reporting it to the police. Hello, you are aware that there are many people on this blog who are voting for McCain? We have all tried to be respectful of each other’s choices and to represent both sides. You are aware that the owner of this blog has publically stated she is a pro-life Republican? Just making sure you knew that.

  48. hello

    Hi Moon-howler, yes, I am aware of that (Republicans on this site) but I think that the number is much lower than what is claimed. I was just pointing out that nobody knows who did this but many here automatically state that it’s kids or even insinuated that other Republicans did it as a tactic. For example, NGL saying “This was a scam. Wait and see. The vandals will be McCain sour grapes-ers.”. Oh really, I see, no Democrat is capable of such things? and how do you know that?

    What about the woman in the story I posted, did she break her own McCain signs and hit herself in the face? I suppose you would think so had it not been for police arresting the man.

  49. –yes, I am aware of that (Republicans on this site) but I think that the number is much lower than what is claimed.–

    So people who don’t talk about their political preference, are Independents, or others here are liars?

    Hello, you are contributing to the chaos that has become this election. We need to stop it at once. No one knows what the whole story is so IMHO we need to stop trying to figure out which “side” did it. This is how culture wars and riots begin.

  50. hello

    Whaaa Pinko? I don’t see how I’m contributing to the chaos by saying that nobody knows who did this. I didn’t see you say anything to NGL when he/she said that “This was a scam. Wait and see. The vandals will be McCain sour grapes-ers.” Funny, according to you I need to stop at once for saying that this could have been a Democrat but NGL is a-okay saying what he/she said. Interesting…

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