EDITORIALS : Sign of the times If it's election season, it's sign-nabbing season
Posted on Friday, October 10, 2008
Informed that 16 of his campaign signs had been pilfered overnight earlier this week, Bill Williams, the Democratic candidate for county judge, decided to have a little fun.
Williams issued a news release titled," Williams campaign poised to make history, memorabilia collectors go to work. "The release quoted Williams as saying," I know that all kinds of campaign items are considered collectible. Typically the value is set by the noteworthiness of the election. Clearly (these signs ) are going to be hot sellers on eBay starting Nov. 5.
"I kind of hate that this places the presidential campaign in the background, but the upside is that by holding out a few signs for ourselves, we should be able to use them to finance my re-election."
Thanks, Bill, for injecting a little humor into this campaign season. We could all use it right about now.
Unfortunately, sign theft is as much a part of campaign season as debates and baby-kissing. A story in Thursday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette told about the difficulty Arkansans are having in getting signs for either presidential candidate, because both Barack Obama's and John McCain's campaigns prefer to invest their money in battleground states. And both state political parties say supporters regularly ask for signs to replace those that have been stolen.
Who are these people who steal signs ? Whether they are teens with too much time on their hands or overzealous supporters of an opponent, this much is for sure: They're criminals. It's too bad so few of these criminals are caught. (A word of warning to criminals, however: As more and more signs are nabbed, more people are fighting back. Beware the strategically placed, hidden camera that might be watching you. )
Sure, those signs aren't always attractive, and one could argue they add very little, if anything, to the democratic process. Most yard signs don't tell you anything other than the person and the office he's pursuing.
Nevertheless, we are blessed with the right to advertise our political persuasions on our property (or our cars, or ourselves, for that matter ). That's one of the beauties of living in America. Sabotage a sign, and you might as well stuff a sock in someone's mouth as he tries to express an opinion.
So if you're reading this, sign thief, you're not only a criminal: You're un-American.
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