Stolen Yard Signs

One issue that has gotten a lot of press this election year is the stolen yard sign issue. I'm pretty sure that petty, childish people will always use this tactic to get "revenge" for the opposing views of their neighbors, but it seems to have been happening with increasing frequency lately. This was actually an issue on the Opinion page of the Waco Trib this morning. Bill Whitaker mentioned that a huge McCain-Palin signs was stolen from the McLennan County Republican Headquarters, until the party chairman, M.A. Taylor "complained mightily to the press." The sign was returned.



Anyway, I definitely don't condone stealing yard signs or bumper stickers. I live in a solidly Republican area, and I am just waiting for the day when I walk out to my car and see my two Obama stickers and my "So, the Dixie Chicks were right after all" sticker gone. So, while I may grumble at people who display Republican stuff, I would never infringe on someone's right to free speech that way.



Not everyone thinks this way. There have been numerous examples of people stealing signs during this election. There are videos on YouTube, stories on the news, and stories that I have heard from friends and others. I even talked to someone today who confessed to removing a McCain sticker from an old lady's car.



Shannon Bennett, from Austin, found an interesting way to deal with this problem. After having Obama yard signs stolen, Bennett took 12 cans of spray paint and made her entire lawn into an Obama sign, saying, "They might think it's extreme, but I think it's extreme to come into my yard and take something that belongs to me, so I wanted to express myself."


Here is the result:

Ah, indignation and spray paint are a nice combination.