You Big Bully

On the 30th, I wrote about how my yard sign in support of McCain and Palin was stolen.  The story actually didn’t end there…

I decided not to take it lying down, and wrote up my own sign:

McCain/Palin Sign Stolen
By Liberals Doing
What Liberals Do
When Your Ideas Can’t
Compete, You Try To
Silence The Opposition

I kept this sign up until Trick or Treaters began arriving on Halloween, took it down while the kids were out, and put it back up later that night. I left this sign up until the following evening, when I replaced it one more time.  I’ll get into why I replaced it again in just a minute.
What I didn’t know at the time, and only found out on the 5th of November, is that someone took exception to my new sign, and left a note on my garage door during the day on the 1st of November.  My young daughter had found the note and brought it in without my knowledge.  I have removed my address from the text, otherwise what follows is the verbatim text of the note:

Attention (my address)

Thank (sic) for helping me with my voting decision.  You showed me just how crazy the republican (sic) party can act.  I honesty (sic) was leaning toward McCain until I drove by and read your childish sign.  I was so outraged that it convinced me to go in the opposite direction.  If you (sic) actions are anything like the McCain party, than (sic) God help us if he wins.  I have never seen such bullying from a grown adult.  Thank you again for helping me!

For a moment, let’s assume that this person was just so angry that he or she lost control of his or her self while typing, instead of questioning his or her intelligence.  That said, I was a bit baffled by this note.  I had to actually go back and read my sign again to try and figure out how I had bullied anyone.  Did I threaten anyone?  No.  Did I make statements indicating that I would defend my property with force if another leftist tried to steal my sign?  No.  (although that would be perfectly within my rights)  Did I name names, call names, kick a puppy?  No, no, no.
My sign was stolen.  My wife was concerned enough about the many reported attacks on person and property by left-wingers that she was very nervous about me putting up another sign.  My neighbor put up his yard sign in his window to try to avoid having a SECOND sign stolen, and was immediately concerned that someone would try to throw a rock through his window.
The sign mentions that I am a grown adult.  How did this person know who put the sign up?  Now  I had to wonder if this person had been surveilling my home.
How did this person decide that he or she was being bullied, when I had a much stronger claim to that sort of attempted coercement?  I can only assume that it was a complete misunderstanding of my sign, and this person thought I was going to “silence the opposition.”  That would be a stretch given that Conservative ideas are winners in any competition involving thought and a love of freedom.  The other option is mental defect on the writer’s part, and I would hate to ascribe that to anyone I haven’t met.

A second point: why would this person refer to the protest of theft as childish?  A child would respond by lying on the ground kicking and screaming, or by going to his or her room and crying.  An adult response is to challenge illegal and hateful behavior.  As the thief didn’t leave a calling card, I responded by voicing my displeasure in a calm, non-violent, and Constitutionally protected manner.  It seems to me that the name calling in this note is far more childish than my replacement sign was.

Now, to this persons other point, the claim that he or she was “leaning towards McCain.”  This has been a favorite, though very unsuccessful, tactic used by the left on Conservative radio talk shows for the past 4 years.  “I have voted Republican all my life, but because of (take your non-dem pick here) I’m changing my registration to Democrat.”  There are variations on the theme, but the next sentences out of the callers mouth are usually indicative of very left-wing beliefs.  Once again the “ends justify the means.”  Lying is OK with the left if they believe that it will achieve their ends.  I don’t believe the writer of the letter in this regard either.  It is entirely possible based on the line “it convinced me to go in the opposite direction” that he or she only meant that he or she turned his or her car around and drove the other direction.  I doubt that was the intended message though.  I am making the assumption that this person really meant that he or she intended to vote for Obama as a response to my sign.  Outside of the obvious weakness of personal will that that reaction reveals, it is also somewhat telling.  I don’t think that many Americans, left or right, would say that John McCain is not a patriot. It would be difficult to argue that he doesn’t love his Country dearly.  I find it interesting then that the writer finds Obama to be McCain’s opposite.

I am guessing you have noticed that I use “he or she” throughout when talking about the writer of this note.  That is because the writer didn’t attach their name, or any information by which I could contact him or her.  This is, in my opinion, a cowardly act.  Not because this person didn’t attach his or her name to the writing.  This is reasonable in public discourse to an extent.  I don’t give my name on this blog, but I am potentially speaking to an unknown audience and not directing my comments to any one individual.  The writer however, came to my house and left a message intended for me specifically, challenging my words at my home.  In the same circumstance I would not hide my identity, but would ensure that the person had the ability to contact me.  The writer’s act was simple cowardice.

Now to why I replaced my homemade sign.  The same day on which I received the note calling me a bully, another person also left me something.  The day after I put my sign out, a pair of signs were placed neatly on my front porch.  There was a fresh, new McCain/Palin sign  and also one in support of Bob Schaefer, the Republican candidate for Senator in Colorado.  This made me proud to be associated with the party that gives, as opposed to the one that takes away.  To that person I say “Thank You!”

To all of you that voted for the candidates with American values, I also say “Thank you, keep up the fight, stay positive, and live the Conservative principles that made America great.”

This entry was posted on 7. November 2008 at 12:58 and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site.

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