Sunday, September 20, 2015

Vandalism During Elections

Vandalism During Elections: What are they trying to accomplish?

Vandalism during elections is a problem that never seems to draw enough press.  What are the folks who knock apart and otherwise destroy campaign signs trying to accomplish?  What kind of message are they trying to send?

Let me ask you:  If you saw a truck with an NDP sign stopping at every Green Party sign, the driver getting out, and trashing the sign, would you be inclined to vote for the NDP?  Not likely!  It applies no matter who is doing it. Canada is world renowned for its politeness, but that seems to disappear during elections.
English: Gibsons Harbour, Sunshine Coast, Brit...
English: Gibsons Harbour, Sunshine Coast, British Columbia Deutsch: Uferweg am Hafen in Gibsons, British Columbia (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Election campaign signs, whether we love them or hate them, whether for our candidate or theirs, are legally erected for the duration of the campaign.  It is a criminal act of vandalism to destroy them.

What many people may not realize is that people who put up these signs are volunteers who care about the community they live in.  Never mind what their politics are;  they do a lot of work during a campaign.  All those large signs that are so manly to destroy are put together by hand, built from lumber that has to be measured, cut, fastened together and driven into the ground by community minded volunteers who love their country.

The other day I noticed as I went down "the Bypass," here on the Sunshine Coast, BC, and then back up again, that someone had destroyed every single one of the Conservative campaign signs on both sides of the highway.  One was repairable with the tools at hand, a pair of rocks, so I did.  The rest required a lot more than what I had with me, so I did not.

Today, as I drove along the highway between Gibsons and Sechelt, I saw where someone had vandalized a Liberal campaign sign, cutting out the face of the candidate.  I suppose these criminals must think that if they destroy all except the signs promoting their candidate of choice, people will vote with them.  

Wow.  Such mind boggling intelligence!  They must think the rest of us are very stupid...