I know the focus here is mainly on Lucas County and at times Ohio but after hearing about the vandalism that took place on Sunday at the campaign office of Rep. Joe Schwarz I wanted to write about it.
Schwartz has gone on record as saying:
"Same-sex couples deserve basic human rights and equality."
Evidently someone takes issue with that as according to a press release I received:
SCHWARZ CAMPAIGN’S JACKSON OFFICE VANDALIZED
JACKSON – Signage at U.S. Rep. Joe Schwarz’s Jackson campaign office was vandalized sometime between last night and this morning. The signs, or decals, are no longer usable.
Campaign staff have reported the incident to the Jackson Police Department. Three decals on the windows of the downtown Jackson Street office feature a larger-than life-size headshot of the congressman. Two of those decals were vandalized. The left-most decal had the word “FAG” written across it, the other had the congressman’s eyes cut out.
Each of the two decals has a retail value of $250.
“This is obviously not the work of someone supporting my campaign. There has been rampant thefts of my campaign’s yard signs and now vandalizing of my office,” Congressman Schwarz said. “This is the work of people lacking all integrity or values, and I find this type of hate speech disgusting.
“This type of activity is not befitting that of a congressional campaign or anyone who supports civility and respect for property, for that matter. We will prosecute to the full extent of the law anyone caught defacing or stealing our campaign materials. I thank the Jackson Police Department for its prompt response.
“I would expect my opponent to remind his supporters to maintain some civility in the closing days of this race. In 27 years, I have never seen behavior like this in a campaign.”
Paid for by Schwarz for Congress, P.O. Box 2063, Battle Creek, Michigan 49016.
It does not appear from this Detroit Free Press article that civility is going to be accomplished. Which is a shame because this sort of hatred and bias should not be a part of any campaign.
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9 comments:
Whether you agree or disagree with the candidate's views, vandalism isn't "political speech"--it's just plain wrong.
(Mike Ferner, call your parole officer.)
While I'd love to see the war end, I don't think spray paint is going to do anything to make that happen. Personally I hope Schwarz's opponent does make a statement against the vandalism that happened.
I agree vandalism is not the same as free speech.
The Ferner incident and this anti-gay vandalism are not equivalent.
Ferner painted anti-war slogans on a public overpass, arguably (OK, this is a legal stretch) his right as a taxpayer.
Ferner's act should more accurately be described as civil disobedience.
The perpetrators in this crime defaced private property, and expressed speech that was less political than it was designed to harass and intimidate.
While I would not personally advocate Ferner's mode of expression, there are considerable legal case precedents for similar acts of "guerilla speech" being classified as civil disobedience.
The thugs in Jackson are just that: thugs.
At the risk of invoking Godwin's law, the Jackson hoodlums are reminiscent of the Sturmabteilung in 1930s Berlin.
At their simplest form both are vandalism in the eyes of the law. Both were done to create attention.
So while I understand your point Mike that Ferner's was not based on hate directed at one specific group, I also see anonymous's point that vandalism isn't political speech. Even Graffiti is in the eye of the beholder as to is it art, free speech or vandalism.
"arguably (OK, this is a legal stretch) his right as a taxpayer."
Yes, that is a big legal stretch.
Whether I agreer with Schwarz's view or not, he does have the right to his opinion.
Ultimately, those that vote will either vote him in, or not; that is the ultimate form of criticism/agreement.
this even made the national newsletter of conservative Chuck Muth...mentioning that the race was getting pretty ugly...
Which situation did you view as a political insurrection?
Had the word "fag" not been written on Schwarz's head, it would have most likely been deemed vandalism instead of hate speech. People have the right to protest government action, especially wars. The problem comes in when they decide to go beyond what they are legally allowed to do.
I guess it depends on what the Graffiti says.
one example
Second example:
Graffiti is hate crime when it is racial, ethnic, religious, homophobic, or sexist in nature. This is most often indicated by use of hate group symbols or slogans, or epithets. To be a hate crime, graffiti must be directed at a specific target. Racial graffiti on a freeway overpass that does not address itself to a particular person is not a hate crime.
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