Well, the police just left the house.....

[Obamarama]

All five houses on this side of the block had our Kerry-Edwards signs ripped off last night. We called the local Democratic Party headquarters to report it in case they were tracking. We were told this is happening a lot all over the city.

We decided to file a formal complaint so it's logged with the police department. Hated taking up the officer's time, especially on a Friday night in a college town but I really feel like somone ripped off our right to democracy, and if that's not worth filing a police report over, then I don't know what is. Officer spoke with each household and was really cool about it. Said it was good we were reporting it.

Funny thing is, without knowing that the others were doing the same thing, all five households went and picked up replacement signs for themselves and the other houses! We now have a stockpile of 20 extra signs in the event they get swiped again. We will not be silenced!!!

Anyone else having similar problems?

[Langis]

1. where do you live at?

[Obamarama]

7. Kalamazoo, MI

[reprehensor]

2. The question is...

Where are they going to put them?

Probably places where they don't belong, like within 20 ft of polling stations on election day, just to cause trouble.

Churches, schools, etc.

This is how they play.

[Joanne98]

3. Set a trap.......

Put them back up then take shifts WAITING for them. YEAH......

[faithnotgreed]

4. well some people say

i have heard tell that some people have found some kind of garlic or pepper material can be of help in this kind of situation

[Flammable Materials]

8. Any poison ivy in your area?

Of course, I wouldn't suggest that someone put on a pair of work gloves and rub poison ivy all over both sides of the sign. That would be wrong.

[Joanne98]

15. Video cameras is more 21st century. Don't ya think?

[txindy]

27. Then there's

that stuff they put on Christmas trees that puts out a tremendous stink when touched. And is hard to get off.

I prefer sprinklers set off by motion detectors, myself. Works on deer, why not punks? :evilgrin:

[Senior citizen]

5. What a beautiful post!

Repugs denying their neighbors freedom of speech.

Democrats thinking about their neighbors instead of just thinking about themselves.

A difference with distinction!

[Robbien]

13. Now that is just what I was thinking

Democratic neighbors helping neighbors while the rabid right is sneaking around trying to steal free speech in the darkness of the night.

In a nutshell that is this new world we live in.

[xultar]

6. get some of those loop screws, a steel pipe, a chain, and a spot lite.

lock that puppy down and chain it to something like a tree.

Get the little effin bastards!

I thought rethugs were moral and didn't steal.

[walldude]

9. Put Super Glue all over the signs..

maybe one will stick to a freeper....

[Union Thug]

23. put a thick rubberized printer's ink on the back of the sign

Works wonders. Ask my father. bwaahahahhahaha

[DemBones DemBones]

42. That's the ploy I like. Let the thieves get ink

that won't come off all over their hands and clothes.

[Psst_Im_Not_Here]

10. Better yet

Take a sharpie and mark some kind of telltale number or some such thing on it. Take a picture of it so if it shows up, you can identify it. Maybe put a camera in the window to catch them. Take turns with the other neighbors watching for them. GET 'EM!

[fortyfeetunder]

35. Another trick

Paint the sign with gentian violet. That ink takes days to wash off, it's almost like being branded...

[Rich Hunt]

46. but what if

....the dog just happens to escape at the wrong time?

[Cobalt Violet]

11. No, my problem is I have no lawn to put a sign.

But I think that your police are getting paid to take your complaint and it is a very serious crime. Glad you put it into the police records.

[timefordrinking.com]

12. Normally, I'm against Big Brother...

...but you could set up a video camera at night. My neighbor did this and it helped catch a local arsonist! It doesn't have to be anything fancy: webcam, old camcorder hooked up to a VCR, baby monitor, etc.. Or, if you have any of those motion-detector lights or kids toys, it might scare them off.

I like the poison ivy trick.

[Safi]

14. Or you could sit on your front porch with a shotgun drinking beer...

...with Born in the USA blasting.

That would work also.

If I were still unemployed I'd probably do that at least once.

-Safi

[Joanne98]

19. YEAH! And Fortunate Son after that......

[Kipepeo]

43. Funniest thing I've read all day

You should also throw in a few random "Hey kids! GET OFF MY LAWN!" yells.

[redpepper]

16. I sympathize with you

we have been losing a lot of our signs down here in Texas. It's not enough that we are fighting an uphill battle here, but the repubastards are stealin our signs too.

[Crunchy Frog]

20. Welcome to DU redpepper!

:hi:

[redpepper]

21. Thank you

I am new to this board,but it feels like a breath of fresh air.

[Union Thug]

17. Ever considered stealing a bunch of repug yard signs...

and displaying them in cemetaries? With all the death that these people have brought the world, it seems strangely appropriate.

[redpepper]

24. Whats funny is

that in my area the repubs are so sure that they have it sowed up that they haven't even put out many signs. But we have a lot planted and more every day.

[Union Thug]

25. Maybe they're just...

embarrassed to announce to the world that they are planning on voting for the microcephalic chimp and his pal Snarly?

[ParanoidPat]

26. Why steal them? Just go down to the local Republican Party office.....

.....and ask for them! :evilgrin:

[Union Thug]

28. We should all do just that...

Get as many as we can just to push up their costs a little.

[stavka]

18. Buy a gun and wait in ambush......

Minus at least one vote, and the case will not even be heard until after the election,

(Just kidding - in Ann Arbor)

Professionally speaking - a report taken at 9PM is not wasting the officer's time, one taken at midnight would.

[fortyfeetunder]

36. 2nd Amendment comes in handy!!

And when they complain about your ambush, just tell them you were using your 2nd amendment rights!!!

[Pallas180]

22. Well good for you. Hope you catch them with video camera

:hi:

[TA]

29. No problems in my neighborhood but Wash State is more civilized

To mess them up get some special paint you can buy at mech/plumbing stores. Can't remember the name of it but it is very black and dries real slow (days), they will know what it is. It is real messy and sticks to anything that comes near it. If signs with this paint on are thrown into a backseat or trunk it will ruin the upholstery. Even gas will not wash it off their hands. Nasty nasty stuff.

[Obamarama]

30. Hehehehehehe...I like this idea....

Think I'll check it out tomorrow morning! Thanks for the tip!!

[shance]

33. Great story for the local paper

Talk with the other neighbors and make an appointment with the local paper's office so you can tell them what's been going on.

[proud patriot]

31. So far so good here

My yard sign has been up all summer

[hyphenate]

32. Stop at an Office Depot or Staples

and get one of those chair mats that go under your desk. The kind with the sharp nubs on the bottom side for gripping carpet. Turn it upside down (with the nubs up) in front of the signs, so that someone would have to walk across it to get to the sign. You'll find people won't do it, and it's enough to scare off most people without hurting them too bad. :)

I'm in Massachusetts, so I'm safe from sign thieves. At least I have been. But someone on another thread also suggested putting the signs closer to the house, because anyone walking on the lawn would have to get real close to grab the signs. If you have outdoor lights set up, it might be good to keep them on for the next couple of weeks to deter people from getting too close to the house as well.

[leesa]

34. Excellent. It is so important to file complaints against the brown shirts

whenever they rear their ugly heads.

[fishnfla]

37. Got any little blond hair girls prone to crying around?

Or sad eyed puppies?

[Catherine Vincent]

38. You live in a college town. Probably a bunch of college kids

stealing them as a prank. I wouldn't be surprised if they steal the B/c signs too. Silly kids.

[leftofthedial]

39. it's an epidemic

fascists always try to silence the opposition.

look at their rigid control over campaign crowds.

Goddam rat-fucking fascist pieces of justice-destroying shit.

That's what they are. Stealing your signs is just the relatively benign fringe of their pervasive, soulless evil.

[The Night Owl]

40. Attach cowbells to the signs...

That way, the sign theifs get a noisy surprise.

[Occulus]

41. Go get a few habanero (sp?) peppers or some such

and press the juice out onto the sign (NOTE! Do this in a well-ventilated area and DO NOT TOUCH the peppers or the juice; use latex or nitrile gloves.

Use a turkey baster or something to spread the juice all over the sign. Touch the sign + touch your eyes = pain

[loudsue]

44. Good suggestions on this thread! I have a couple of other suggestions...

First of all, if at all possible, put signs up on a tree in your yard, high enough where you need a ladder.

Second (if the first doesn't apply, or even if it does), I REALLY like the look of a clean, shiny yard sign displayed in someone's front window. Some nice neighborhoods I've seen in N.C. are doing this, and it looks very smart. Lights up a house!

Third, if you have a sign that is a good size, put one on your roof, slanting toward the street for anyone to see.... and news/traffic helicopter pilots can see them too.

O8)If it's pointing skyward, be sure and send it up as a prayer, too, while you're at it! O8)

None of these options punish the freeptards in proper measure, but they might cause them some frustration.

:kick::kick::kick:

[July]

45. How about a second sign next to the Kerry one?

YOU THINK YOUR PARTY IS THE MORE MORAL?

(List of Ten Commandments below, highlighting:

THOU SHALT NOT STEAL.)

[sadiesworld]

47. Yep.

A bunch were stolen in a neighborhood here in Louisville--The Highlands. Several stories in the local paper--The Courier Journal--about it.

[Red State Rebel]

48. I'm lucky, I have great road frontage but it's not easy to access.

Someone would be risking life and limb to try to mess with my signs between stopping on a busy road with no shoulders to climbing down the embankment to get to the trees they are posted on. I have 2 acres to put up as many signs as I want :)

[Fla Dem]

49. My Kerry bumper sticker got bushwacked.

I work 2-3 days a week at a retail store in a strip mall. Pretty much repug country, but have been seeing lots of Kerry/Edwards signs and bumper stickers. But still concerned I would find my car with vandalism once I put the sticker on it. Got off work the other evening and there was a Lush/Shamey sticker stuck over my Kerry/ Edwards sticker. Oh well have more and already replaced. But, typical lawbreaking repug tactic.