Note Found In Vandalized Classroom: "A Republican Was Here."

[paft.livejournal.com]

Boston Herald.com

When the teacher, Paul Clifford, returned to his classroom Monday morning, he discovered that a collage depicting the history of the labor movement was missing. In its place, someone had left a bumper sticker reading: 'Working People Vote Republican.'

Caucus members also apparently looked inside a closed cardboard box near Clifford’s desk that contained copies of the U.S. Constitution donated by the American Civil Liberties Union. Clifford later discovered a note left behind reading, 'A Republican was here. What gives you the right to propagandize impressionable kids?' according to an account in the Portland Press Herald.

A public school in Maine allowed a contingent of Republicans to meet in their classrooms over a weekend. The result was a rifled and vandalized classroom and stolen materials.

It’s nice to know that the Maine Republican Party had the grace to apologize:

Villagesoup:

The Maine Republican Party does not condone the destruction of property nor does it encourage the lack of tolerance that these people demonstrated. Over 900 other people attended these caucuses without incident and I hope that the actions of few do not tarnish the image of many. We appreciate the hospitality of the staff from the King Middle School and hope to work with them again in the future. We sincerely apologize to the faculty and student body at King Middle School.

The problem is, that same contingent rooting around and looting the classroom – the Knox County Republicans -- is influential enough to have replaced the Republican Party Platform with one more to the liking of Tea Party activists.

In short, the vandals are the ones writing the party platform in that state.

But they're just a fringe group right? I mean, just because they're actually writing the Maine Republican Party platform doesn't mean anything. Right?

Comments

[paft.livejournal.com]

g: See there you go, attributing a minor act of vandalism to a whole group

No, I'm attributing the vandalism to a small group -- who apparently wields a disproportionate amount of power in Maine Republican politics, given that they were allowed to call the shots about what went into the Maine Republican Party platform.

*sigh*

[geezer-also.livejournal.com]

I know (well, pretty sure) you are not obtuse.

"who apparently wields a disproportionate amount of power"

This is an assumption you have made, based on "evidence" that is at best circumstantial. Let's try this:

The party knows who did this, so they confront the perpetrators, retrieve the stolen posters and apologize. This makes them guilty of what exactly?
Being evil? Trying to form a right wing conspiracy? Putting something in the Republican platform that you disagree with? I confess I must be too intellectually dense to understand the big deal. Unfortunately, I must help my son finish moving today, so I shall be gone and not find out just why Maine's Republican party platform is so evil, and in your mind, apparently bring the downfall of the whole country or at least bring back lynchings, and yes, I know you didn't say that, but since I can't recall a thread where you have failed to bring it up, I'm thinking that 'apparently' that is your greatest worry; and yes that was snark.

Re: *sigh*

[paft.livejournal.com]

g: The party knows who did this, so they confront the perpetrators, retrieve the stolen posters and apologize. This makes them guilty of what exactly?

And exactly how does the party know who did this?

g: Being evil?

???

Where have I invoked the word "evil?"

g: Trying to form a right wing conspiracy?

???

Where have I invoked the word "conspiracy?" Hey, I'M not the one who implied that this is a leftist hoax perpetrated in order to make the Republicans look bad.

g: Putting something in the Republican platform that you disagree with?

Replacing the Maine Republican platform with a new platform more to the liking of the extremist Tea Party movement.

Try responding to what I've written rather than what you wish I'd written.

OK

[geezer-also.livejournal.com]

"In short, the vandals are the ones writing the party platform in that state."

That is a bunch of hooey, based on assumptions and extrapolations.

Re: OK

[paft.livejournal.com]

It's not an 'assumption" or an "extrapolation" that the same contingent who used that classroom (at least one member of whom, by the way, took pictures of the classroom and posted them online in order to denounce the posters and the teacher) were behind the new Maine Party Republican platform.