Demofascism
Or, at the very least, Demothuggery:
September 2, 2004: Huntington, West Virginia:
"Republican supporters in Huntington were watching their candidate accept the party's nomination when a gunshot rang out right in the middle of George W. Bush's speech.
"'We heard a small snap, and felt glass come sliding by us. We looked up and saw a hole in our window and realized somebody was shooting at us,' said Paula Stewart.
"Witnesses tell police that someone fired a shot at the Republican Headquarters office at 1402 4th Avenue around 10:30pm Thursday night."
Today, Knoxville, Tennessee:
"An unknown gunman fired several shots into the Bearden, Tenn., Bush-Cheney campaign office Tuesday, WBIR-TV in Knoxville reported.
"According to Knoxville police officers on the scene, it is believed that the two separate shots were fired from a car sometime between 6:30 a.m. and 7:15 a.m. One shot shattered the glass in one front door and the other cracked the glass in another of the front doors."
Today, Orlando, Florida:
"A group of protestors caused a commotion Tuesday afternoon at the Bush-Cheney Headquarters at SR436 & the 408. The protestors rushed the front door and Orlando police spokesman, Sgt. Brian Gilliams says.
"Once inside, the protestors used a marker to draw on posters and scribbled remarks. O-P says one employee at the office was slightly injured and police are considering whether to file misdemeanor battery charges against the unidentified protestor."
Today, Madison, Wisconsin:
"Madison homeowners are livid after vandals defaced their homes.
"Someone burned an 8-foot-by-8-foot Nazi swastika on a home's lawn near where Bush-Cheney signs were posted. The vandals used grass killer to spray the symbol.
"Several nearby homes were vandalized - all were within a two-block radius on the West Side, near Ice Age Trail, News 3 reported.
"State Republican Party officials claim it's the latest in a series of desperate acts by Democrats."
"Homeowners are angry, but resolute in what they plan to do next.
"'I just cannot believe that someone would take the liberty to do this,' said homeowner Rob Schaeffer. 'We're appalled that someone would choose to destroy our property because they don't believe in our political views. My signs are going right back in the yard. This is my property. We live here. We have rights.'
"Police are investigating the criminal damage and told the homeowner it will be investigated as a hate crime, which carries stiffer penalties."
UPDATE - Gainsville, Florida:
"Politics in Gainesville turned rough and tumble Thursday night when, police say, a social behavior sciences instructor - a Democrat - punched the chairman of the Alachua County Republican Executive Committee in the face.
"David Philip McCally, 55, of Gainsville faces misdemeanor battery and criminal mischief charges after he was accused of hitting both committee chairman Travis Horn, 32, and a life-sized cardboard cutout of President George W. Bush.
- Columbus, Ohio: (I wrote about this incident here.)
"An American serviceman was ambushed last month. This ambush was especially noteworthy because it did not occur in Iraq or Afghanistan; it occurred within the borders of the United States. PFC Foster Barton, recipient of the Purple Heart, was on a two-week leave, recuperating from injuries sustained while on duty in Iraq. While leaving a concert in Columbus, Ohio, he was attacked. According to a local television report, his attacker reportedly 'was screaming profanities and making crude remarks about U.S. soldiers.'"
- Huntington, West Virginia: (Remember this one?)
"A West Virginia man said yesterday that Democrats stole his family's Bush-Cheney campaign signs at an event featuring Democratic vice presidential candidate Senator John Edwards.
"'They just pounced on us,' said Phil Parlock, who took his 11-year-old son, Alex, and 3-year-old daughter, Sophia, to the Democratic rally at Tri-State Airport in Huntington, W.Va.
"Sophia became briefly famous yesterday when an Associated Press photo showing her in tears after Democrats tore her sign to pieces was posted on Matt Drudge's Web site, www.drudgereport.com."
- Huntington Station, New York:
"A spirited debate on presidential politics aboard an Alaska-bound airplane has turned into an international incident, and left a Huntington Station retiree locked up in a Canadian jail on criminal charges, authorities said yesterday.
"Michael Husar, 58, was arrested Friday after allegedly having an alcohol-induced bout of air rage aboard a Northwest Airlines flight to Anchorage, which was diverted to Winnipeg, Manitoba, because of the incident.
"Husar boarded Flight 849 in Minneapolis on his way from New York to visit some friends in Alaska, his wife, Linda, said yesterday. Officials said Husar, a supporter of Senator John Kerry, was engaged in a discussion on the upcoming presidential election with a woman seated next to him - a President George W. Bush supporter - when she became turned off by his belligerent attitude and complained to the flight staff.
"The woman also did not like that Husar would touch her leg and shoulder when he spoke to her, authorities said. Corona said Husar had 'had a few drinks.'
"Russell Ridd, supervising senior crown attorney for the Manitoba Justice Department, said that when flight attendants approached Husar, he became enraged, deliberately spilling a container of alcohol and engaging in 'the boisterous behavior of a drunk.'"
- Dallas, Texas: (Wrote about this one as well.)
"A candlelight vigil took place Wednesday night to remember U.S. war dead in Iraq during the week of the 1,000th casualty. One North Texas family whose relative - Chad Drake - was killed outside Baghdad on Monday, was among the mourners at Dallas City Hall Plaza.
"A family friend said the vigil turned abrasive toward the family members. The friend sent an e-mail message to NBC 5 News that described the alleged treatment some vigil attendees directed at the family.
"The family friend's message alleges Drake's mother was 'harassed and yelled at, booed and hissed, told her son died for nothing.' Drake's mother reportedly left the event in tears."
- Knoxville, Tennessee:
"As hard as it may be to believe, the 9/11 memorial placed on campus here at UT Tuesday night has been vandalized.
"Apparently, some cowardly and despicable individuals snuck onto the amphitheater Wednesday night and removed all 3,000 flags. They moved them to Humanities Plaza (about 100 yards away) and replanted them, spelling out 'The World Suffers.' They also chalked various antiwar and anti-Bush slogans on the buildings and on the pavement - in direct violation of University rules.
"This is quite disturbing for many reasons. First of all, the memorial was a nonpartisan one - the College Democrats were invited to attend. People of all political persuasions were involved. It had nothing to do with the Iraq war. Yet apparently in this world of rabid antiwar sentiment, even a 9/11 memorial can be considered offensive by certain 'activists.'
"Secondly, the cowardice of those responsible is also telling. Why, pray tell, did they not do this during the day? Were they ashamed to be seen? Or were they simply cowards?
"Finally, how could someone be so callous as to remove this? 3,000 flags were involved. Every one was taken out of the ground, moved about 100 yards, and planted in the ground again. This was not something that was done in five minutes. These people obviously put a lot of efforts into their vandalism. What message does the fact that they are willing to do this send to the families of those who died on September 11, 2001? Whose side are these people on?"
- Washington, D.C.:
"Five pro-life college students were forcibly removed from a pro-abortion rally held by presumptive Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry on Friday. The students were literally dragged off after they began leading a pro-life chant and one woman suffered injuries to her feet as a result.
"According to Edmiston, after the chants, a group of young adults with NARAL t-shirts surrounded the women. 'All of a sudden these NARAL girls appeared out of nowhere,' Edmiston. 'You guys have to leave right now,' the NARAL women told the students. Edmiston said the students told the abortion advocates they would leave, but wanted a uniformed official to explain why they had to leave a public event and one for which they had obtained tickets from the Kerry campaign.
"After seeing the students wouldn't leave, the NARAL women told each other to link arms and began to surround the pro-life students.
"At the same time, older rally participants were screaming to leave the students alone. Edmiston told LifeNews.com that the older women told the younger abortion activists they could possibly hurt the students and that the students had a right to attend the rally.
"But that didn't stop the young NARAL backers. They became angry and began to push and shove the pro-life women. One woman told Suanne that her mother should have aborted her.
The NARAL women eventually enveloped three of the students, including Suanne, in a circle and began dragging them away."
- Boston, Massachusetts:
The infamous "Margolis incident," where three pro-Bush bloggers and other GOP supporters were physically attacked by Bushophobes and union thugs at a Boston event.
- Ellicott City, Maryland:
"The political season has turned ugly in Howard County, with an Ellicott City homeowner reporting a late-night fire that burned two Republican campaign signs in his back yard.
"In addition, local Republicans say scores of other campaign signs have been destroyed or vandalized in the past couple of weeks, most of them along major highways.
"'It's absolutely outrageous,' said Howard Rensin, chairman of the county Republican Party. He said about $1,500 worth of GOP signs have been destroyed.
"'We're talking about dozens and dozens and dozens of signs. We think we may be looking at a concerted effort here,' Rensin said. 'If people want to express their political views, they ought to do so at the polls.'"
- Minneapolis, Minnesota: (hat tip to Captain Ed for this one and the next one)
"Of the more than 300 workers bused in by Minnesota labor unions for the outdoor rally, about a dozen protesters pressed forward into the campaign headquarters' lobby. The protesters were trying to deliver plastic bins filled with postcards but found their way into the headquarters itself blocked by an eight-foot-long Bush/Cheney placard that had been upended against an interior door. ...
"A Bush volunteer attempted first to shut the door against the protesters, then to push out several, including Jon Youngdahl of the Minnesota AFL-CIO, who struggled to yell through his bullhorn while the volunteer kept searching for a mute button on it. Others blasted airhorns in the lobby while one man pushed repeatedly on the campaign's intercom to yell his protest. ...
"The noontime protest happened to come on the first day of ticket distribution for Saturday's presidential visit, and according to Bush/Cheney campaign spokesman Peter Hong, several dozen volunteers and ticketholders were trapped inside.
"None of the protesters made it inside the offices, Hong said, but 'obviously some of our people were concerned, especially those who came to pick up tickets who had children here with them.'
Hong said the protest 'reflects the frustration the Kerry people are feeling. If they could sell John Kerry, they'd be out doorknocking and phonebanking, not disrupting the proceedings of a rival campaign office.'"
- Milwaukee, Wisconsin:
"More than 50 demonstrators supporting Democrat presidential candidate John Kerry stormed a Republican campaign office in West Allis at mid-day today, trespassing, creating a disturbance through the use of a bullhorn in the office and then refusing to leave when asked.
"The Chairman of the Republican Party of Wisconsin (RPW) condemned the action by Kerry supporters, and asked the Kerry campaign and the Democrat Party of Wisconsin to do the same.
“'Do John Kerry and Wisconsin Democrats really believe this is conduct becoming of a presidential candidate and his campaign?' RPW Chairman Rick Graber asked. 'It is unfortunate that Team Kerry feels the need to engage in such childish and obnoxious behavior. ...
"Graber called the latest incident part of a disturbing trend of criminal conduct by anti-Bush forces in Wisconsin, pointing to an incident in Madison last week in which Bush-Cheney yard signs were stolen from the yards of three homes. The vandals then used chemicals to burn swastikas into the lawns of the homes, which were within a two-block radius of one another."
And just yesterday, John Carlson, the afternoon drive host on KVI Talkradio 570 in Seattle, WA, took a call from a Bush supporter who was run off the road and almost physically assaulted by an enraged, obscenity-spewing Kerryite. The Bush supporter's great and unforgiveable offense? He had a small Bush-Cheney sticker on the rear window of his truck.
I've been saying for quite a while now that once you reach the levels of anti-Bush verbal insanity that a lot of lefties have during this campaign (e.g. "Assassinate Bush" bumperstickers, books, off-broadway plays, etc.), about the only next step beyond rhetorical violence is physical violence. And if some of them are carrying out drive-by shootings of GOP offices a month before the election, what will they do after Bush is re-elected? Car bombings? Rocket-propelled grenade attacks?
What an irony that would be - having to put the Iraqi "insurgency" on the back burner in order to fight the one taking place right here at home.
I was right the first time. This burgeoning grassroots fascism is what the overheated rhetoric of the Ted Kennedys, Howie Deans, Michael Moores, and John Kerrys has wrought. It'd be nice if some responsible Dems (assuming Zell Miller isn't the last one) would step forward, and soon, to denounce the entire self-immolative course that party is on, and pull it back towards the mainstream before this Second Civil War crosses the boundary between rhetorical and literal.
(Captain Ed suggests vigorous DOJ use of the RICO statute against this Big Labor insurrectionism. I heartily agree. What better way to stick it to these SOBs than to sic John Ashcroft on 'em!)
(Here's a website that chronicles more of this thuggery photographically.)
September 2, 2004: Huntington, West Virginia:
"Republican supporters in Huntington were watching their candidate accept the party's nomination when a gunshot rang out right in the middle of George W. Bush's speech.
"'We heard a small snap, and felt glass come sliding by us. We looked up and saw a hole in our window and realized somebody was shooting at us,' said Paula Stewart.
"Witnesses tell police that someone fired a shot at the Republican Headquarters office at 1402 4th Avenue around 10:30pm Thursday night."
Today, Knoxville, Tennessee:
"An unknown gunman fired several shots into the Bearden, Tenn., Bush-Cheney campaign office Tuesday, WBIR-TV in Knoxville reported.
"According to Knoxville police officers on the scene, it is believed that the two separate shots were fired from a car sometime between 6:30 a.m. and 7:15 a.m. One shot shattered the glass in one front door and the other cracked the glass in another of the front doors."
Today, Orlando, Florida:
"A group of protestors caused a commotion Tuesday afternoon at the Bush-Cheney Headquarters at SR436 & the 408. The protestors rushed the front door and Orlando police spokesman, Sgt. Brian Gilliams says.
"Once inside, the protestors used a marker to draw on posters and scribbled remarks. O-P says one employee at the office was slightly injured and police are considering whether to file misdemeanor battery charges against the unidentified protestor."
Today, Madison, Wisconsin:
"Madison homeowners are livid after vandals defaced their homes.
"Someone burned an 8-foot-by-8-foot Nazi swastika on a home's lawn near where Bush-Cheney signs were posted. The vandals used grass killer to spray the symbol.
"Several nearby homes were vandalized - all were within a two-block radius on the West Side, near Ice Age Trail, News 3 reported.
"State Republican Party officials claim it's the latest in a series of desperate acts by Democrats."
"Homeowners are angry, but resolute in what they plan to do next.
"'I just cannot believe that someone would take the liberty to do this,' said homeowner Rob Schaeffer. 'We're appalled that someone would choose to destroy our property because they don't believe in our political views. My signs are going right back in the yard. This is my property. We live here. We have rights.'
"Police are investigating the criminal damage and told the homeowner it will be investigated as a hate crime, which carries stiffer penalties."
UPDATE - Gainsville, Florida:
"Politics in Gainesville turned rough and tumble Thursday night when, police say, a social behavior sciences instructor - a Democrat - punched the chairman of the Alachua County Republican Executive Committee in the face.
"David Philip McCally, 55, of Gainsville faces misdemeanor battery and criminal mischief charges after he was accused of hitting both committee chairman Travis Horn, 32, and a life-sized cardboard cutout of President George W. Bush.
- Columbus, Ohio: (I wrote about this incident here.)
"An American serviceman was ambushed last month. This ambush was especially noteworthy because it did not occur in Iraq or Afghanistan; it occurred within the borders of the United States. PFC Foster Barton, recipient of the Purple Heart, was on a two-week leave, recuperating from injuries sustained while on duty in Iraq. While leaving a concert in Columbus, Ohio, he was attacked. According to a local television report, his attacker reportedly 'was screaming profanities and making crude remarks about U.S. soldiers.'"
- Huntington, West Virginia: (Remember this one?)
"A West Virginia man said yesterday that Democrats stole his family's Bush-Cheney campaign signs at an event featuring Democratic vice presidential candidate Senator John Edwards.
"'They just pounced on us,' said Phil Parlock, who took his 11-year-old son, Alex, and 3-year-old daughter, Sophia, to the Democratic rally at Tri-State Airport in Huntington, W.Va.
"Sophia became briefly famous yesterday when an Associated Press photo showing her in tears after Democrats tore her sign to pieces was posted on Matt Drudge's Web site, www.drudgereport.com."
- Huntington Station, New York:
"A spirited debate on presidential politics aboard an Alaska-bound airplane has turned into an international incident, and left a Huntington Station retiree locked up in a Canadian jail on criminal charges, authorities said yesterday.
"Michael Husar, 58, was arrested Friday after allegedly having an alcohol-induced bout of air rage aboard a Northwest Airlines flight to Anchorage, which was diverted to Winnipeg, Manitoba, because of the incident.
"Husar boarded Flight 849 in Minneapolis on his way from New York to visit some friends in Alaska, his wife, Linda, said yesterday. Officials said Husar, a supporter of Senator John Kerry, was engaged in a discussion on the upcoming presidential election with a woman seated next to him - a President George W. Bush supporter - when she became turned off by his belligerent attitude and complained to the flight staff.
"The woman also did not like that Husar would touch her leg and shoulder when he spoke to her, authorities said. Corona said Husar had 'had a few drinks.'
"Russell Ridd, supervising senior crown attorney for the Manitoba Justice Department, said that when flight attendants approached Husar, he became enraged, deliberately spilling a container of alcohol and engaging in 'the boisterous behavior of a drunk.'"
- Dallas, Texas: (Wrote about this one as well.)
"A candlelight vigil took place Wednesday night to remember U.S. war dead in Iraq during the week of the 1,000th casualty. One North Texas family whose relative - Chad Drake - was killed outside Baghdad on Monday, was among the mourners at Dallas City Hall Plaza.
"A family friend said the vigil turned abrasive toward the family members. The friend sent an e-mail message to NBC 5 News that described the alleged treatment some vigil attendees directed at the family.
"The family friend's message alleges Drake's mother was 'harassed and yelled at, booed and hissed, told her son died for nothing.' Drake's mother reportedly left the event in tears."
- Knoxville, Tennessee:
"As hard as it may be to believe, the 9/11 memorial placed on campus here at UT Tuesday night has been vandalized.
"Apparently, some cowardly and despicable individuals snuck onto the amphitheater Wednesday night and removed all 3,000 flags. They moved them to Humanities Plaza (about 100 yards away) and replanted them, spelling out 'The World Suffers.' They also chalked various antiwar and anti-Bush slogans on the buildings and on the pavement - in direct violation of University rules.
"This is quite disturbing for many reasons. First of all, the memorial was a nonpartisan one - the College Democrats were invited to attend. People of all political persuasions were involved. It had nothing to do with the Iraq war. Yet apparently in this world of rabid antiwar sentiment, even a 9/11 memorial can be considered offensive by certain 'activists.'
"Secondly, the cowardice of those responsible is also telling. Why, pray tell, did they not do this during the day? Were they ashamed to be seen? Or were they simply cowards?
"Finally, how could someone be so callous as to remove this? 3,000 flags were involved. Every one was taken out of the ground, moved about 100 yards, and planted in the ground again. This was not something that was done in five minutes. These people obviously put a lot of efforts into their vandalism. What message does the fact that they are willing to do this send to the families of those who died on September 11, 2001? Whose side are these people on?"
- Washington, D.C.:
"Five pro-life college students were forcibly removed from a pro-abortion rally held by presumptive Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry on Friday. The students were literally dragged off after they began leading a pro-life chant and one woman suffered injuries to her feet as a result.
"According to Edmiston, after the chants, a group of young adults with NARAL t-shirts surrounded the women. 'All of a sudden these NARAL girls appeared out of nowhere,' Edmiston. 'You guys have to leave right now,' the NARAL women told the students. Edmiston said the students told the abortion advocates they would leave, but wanted a uniformed official to explain why they had to leave a public event and one for which they had obtained tickets from the Kerry campaign.
"After seeing the students wouldn't leave, the NARAL women told each other to link arms and began to surround the pro-life students.
"At the same time, older rally participants were screaming to leave the students alone. Edmiston told LifeNews.com that the older women told the younger abortion activists they could possibly hurt the students and that the students had a right to attend the rally.
"But that didn't stop the young NARAL backers. They became angry and began to push and shove the pro-life women. One woman told Suanne that her mother should have aborted her.
The NARAL women eventually enveloped three of the students, including Suanne, in a circle and began dragging them away."
- Boston, Massachusetts:
The infamous "Margolis incident," where three pro-Bush bloggers and other GOP supporters were physically attacked by Bushophobes and union thugs at a Boston event.
- Ellicott City, Maryland:
"The political season has turned ugly in Howard County, with an Ellicott City homeowner reporting a late-night fire that burned two Republican campaign signs in his back yard.
"In addition, local Republicans say scores of other campaign signs have been destroyed or vandalized in the past couple of weeks, most of them along major highways.
"'It's absolutely outrageous,' said Howard Rensin, chairman of the county Republican Party. He said about $1,500 worth of GOP signs have been destroyed.
"'We're talking about dozens and dozens and dozens of signs. We think we may be looking at a concerted effort here,' Rensin said. 'If people want to express their political views, they ought to do so at the polls.'"
- Minneapolis, Minnesota: (hat tip to Captain Ed for this one and the next one)
"Of the more than 300 workers bused in by Minnesota labor unions for the outdoor rally, about a dozen protesters pressed forward into the campaign headquarters' lobby. The protesters were trying to deliver plastic bins filled with postcards but found their way into the headquarters itself blocked by an eight-foot-long Bush/Cheney placard that had been upended against an interior door. ...
"A Bush volunteer attempted first to shut the door against the protesters, then to push out several, including Jon Youngdahl of the Minnesota AFL-CIO, who struggled to yell through his bullhorn while the volunteer kept searching for a mute button on it. Others blasted airhorns in the lobby while one man pushed repeatedly on the campaign's intercom to yell his protest. ...
"The noontime protest happened to come on the first day of ticket distribution for Saturday's presidential visit, and according to Bush/Cheney campaign spokesman Peter Hong, several dozen volunteers and ticketholders were trapped inside.
"None of the protesters made it inside the offices, Hong said, but 'obviously some of our people were concerned, especially those who came to pick up tickets who had children here with them.'
Hong said the protest 'reflects the frustration the Kerry people are feeling. If they could sell John Kerry, they'd be out doorknocking and phonebanking, not disrupting the proceedings of a rival campaign office.'"
- Milwaukee, Wisconsin:
"More than 50 demonstrators supporting Democrat presidential candidate John Kerry stormed a Republican campaign office in West Allis at mid-day today, trespassing, creating a disturbance through the use of a bullhorn in the office and then refusing to leave when asked.
"The Chairman of the Republican Party of Wisconsin (RPW) condemned the action by Kerry supporters, and asked the Kerry campaign and the Democrat Party of Wisconsin to do the same.
“'Do John Kerry and Wisconsin Democrats really believe this is conduct becoming of a presidential candidate and his campaign?' RPW Chairman Rick Graber asked. 'It is unfortunate that Team Kerry feels the need to engage in such childish and obnoxious behavior. ...
"Graber called the latest incident part of a disturbing trend of criminal conduct by anti-Bush forces in Wisconsin, pointing to an incident in Madison last week in which Bush-Cheney yard signs were stolen from the yards of three homes. The vandals then used chemicals to burn swastikas into the lawns of the homes, which were within a two-block radius of one another."
And just yesterday, John Carlson, the afternoon drive host on KVI Talkradio 570 in Seattle, WA, took a call from a Bush supporter who was run off the road and almost physically assaulted by an enraged, obscenity-spewing Kerryite. The Bush supporter's great and unforgiveable offense? He had a small Bush-Cheney sticker on the rear window of his truck.
I've been saying for quite a while now that once you reach the levels of anti-Bush verbal insanity that a lot of lefties have during this campaign (e.g. "Assassinate Bush" bumperstickers, books, off-broadway plays, etc.), about the only next step beyond rhetorical violence is physical violence. And if some of them are carrying out drive-by shootings of GOP offices a month before the election, what will they do after Bush is re-elected? Car bombings? Rocket-propelled grenade attacks?
What an irony that would be - having to put the Iraqi "insurgency" on the back burner in order to fight the one taking place right here at home.
I was right the first time. This burgeoning grassroots fascism is what the overheated rhetoric of the Ted Kennedys, Howie Deans, Michael Moores, and John Kerrys has wrought. It'd be nice if some responsible Dems (assuming Zell Miller isn't the last one) would step forward, and soon, to denounce the entire self-immolative course that party is on, and pull it back towards the mainstream before this Second Civil War crosses the boundary between rhetorical and literal.
(Captain Ed suggests vigorous DOJ use of the RICO statute against this Big Labor insurrectionism. I heartily agree. What better way to stick it to these SOBs than to sic John Ashcroft on 'em!)
(Here's a website that chronicles more of this thuggery photographically.)
posted by JASmius at 9:46 PM
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