ext_306469 ([identity profile] paft.livejournal.com) wrote in [community profile] talkpolitics2010-05-15 10:26 am
Entry tags:

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

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?

[identity profile] ofbg.livejournal.com 2010-05-17 06:07 am (UTC)(link)
Sorry it took so long to get back.

What we have as evidence are two sentences in this paragraph;

"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."

The above states that they may have looked into a box.

They later said the below without saying where the note was found.

Putting the two, maybe unrelated sentences in the same paragraph without further info sounds like it's convenient for the writers agenda.

"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."

[identity profile] the-rukh.livejournal.com 2010-05-17 07:51 am (UTC)(link)
Actually what we have as evidence is they were the last people to use the room before the teacher and that the Republican group apologized and said they would return the materials.

[identity profile] ofbg.livejournal.com 2010-05-17 12:12 pm (UTC)(link)
Then, there are the janitors, the teachers and the reporter----?

[identity profile] the-rukh.livejournal.com 2010-05-17 04:47 pm (UTC)(link)
I agree without us knowing further info, its possible, but we don't know what they people investigating know. Furthermore that doesn't negate the republican party taking responsibility and having the items that were taken.

[identity profile] ofbg.livejournal.com 2010-05-18 02:33 am (UTC)(link)
Do they have those items or is that an assumption? I haven't heard.

[identity profile] the-rukh.livejournal.com 2010-05-18 03:12 am (UTC)(link)
Well they offered to return them, so I assume they do.

The thing is, people shouldn't be jumping to the conclusion, with even less evidence, that it was some sort of setup. Things happen. There's a few hundred people in the U.S.

As I said elsewhere, what is valid to nitpick is the allegation this somehow impacts the overall Republican platform.

(and a better overall conversation would be how the overthrow of the Republican platform in this state is going to impact the U.S.)

[identity profile] ofbg.livejournal.com 2010-05-18 08:05 am (UTC)(link)
"Well they offered to return them, so I assume they do."

I missed that.