Weigh in. Have you ever felt threatened for being a liberal?

[senseandsensibility]

I have. Since I'm white and conventional looking, most people would guess that I was a Republican, and I have been mistaken for one a few times. But I sometimes advertise that I am not, and that's when the trouble starts.

The first time was when Clinton was running against Bush the elder. I was young and naive, and just starting to be interested in politics. I was proudly sporting my Clinton/Gore bumper sticker when I saw something strange in my rear view mirror. It was a carload of what appeared to be high school boys, all blond, worked up about something. They were gesturing and yelling. As they passed me, I could see they were angry, and felt the first pricks of fear. But when they saw me, it was obvious that they were taken aback by my appearance. I was blond like them, and didn't fit the stereotype durty librul look they had expected, I guess. At that age, and in that era, I was able to shrug it all off. I grinned and shook my head, they seemed to calm down and sped off. That was the end of it.

In 2004, things heated up again. My hubby was called a "fagot" by a driver unhappy with his Kerry/Edwards sticker. The driver slowed down until my husband looked over and mouthed the epithet slowly. He looked extremely angry, he said. I wasn't there for that one, but my husband is not one to overreact. The fact that he even mentioned it tells me that the guy must have looked very scary.

Then, also in 2004, our yard signs were vandalized. I left the house to run errands, and the signs were there. An hour and a half later when I returned, the signs were gone. I found them shoved into the mud behind some trees. This was just a day of two before the election. I waded into the mud to retrieve them and put them out again, feeling both angry and somewhat satisfied that we must really be getting to them for repugs to act like this.

The above examples are not exaggerated in any way, and I was able to shrug them all off and go about my business. But what makes me think about them occasionally is this: where are the examples of liberals doing similar things to repugs? I haven't heard any.

Please share your experiences if you have any.

[w8liftinglady]

1. not "threatened" per se.My co-workers make veiled comments all the time.

I even had a heated "discussion" with our hospital chaplain.My car,believe it or not,has never been vandalised..even here in Ellis County,Texas.I have a zillion bumper stickers(most are for veterans for peace,veteran care,democratic underground,vote democrat)

[LisaM]

2. I got screamed at in a Taco Bell drive in line once

A friend and I were picking something up after a softball game. I noticed that the car behind me was getting a little close and clearly he saw my (whatever candidate's it was bumper sticker) and he stood up in the seat of his (of course) pickup truck, stuck his body out of the window, and started screaming, "GET OUT YOUR WALLET YOU LIBERAL! GET OUR YOUR WALLET YOU LIBERAL!" while the veins popped out of his head. It was very strange and a little scary.

Other than that, what I've noticed is that my Republican friends seem determined to inundate me with those emails that get sent around. I don't send left-wing emails to right-wing people (or anyone) and I don't understand why they do this.

[barbtries]

3. no

not so far. i have been ridiculed and marginalized and my opinions have been discarded without any thought given to them. and that was by people who would never hurt me, because they love me. my older brother and sister. we don't discuss politics any more.

[senseandsensibility]

8. I changed the subject line to "felt" threatened

It seems to be more appropriate to some of the examples above. I understand that you never felt threatened by your family members. But it's no fun being ridiculed by them either. I've been there, too.:)

[Dogtown]

4. No

But I have been threatened for being atheist.

Everything from the inevitable damnation :rofl: to a beating.

None of those threats have materialized, though. :shrug:

[Maestro]

5. I have had plenty of heated discussions but the only threat I have received

was in 2004. I received an anonymous email at work threatening me to not cause problems during the election and to remember my "place" or else. I reported it to the FBI, my employer and I never heard anything else about it. I did my search based on the email's sending server and it was based in Canada but that really doesn't mean anything. I voted quite happily for the real winner.

[TrogL]

14. If the server was an unsecure relay, you'll never track it

Back in the day some places allowed their external email servers to be relayers (intended for internal use) but left the security wide open so anybody could use them.

[Maestro]

29. I did not know that but I also knew that probably

nothing would come of it.

[Cleita]

6. Not threatened but ridiculed. I was even accused of wearing Birkenstocks (?)

which I have never owned in my life. It seems in their minds all liberals wear Birkenstocks. However, this was in the backwoods by people who are still living in the nineteenth century. I suggested to them that they were being robbed of their rights by the lumber companies they worked for because they were propping up Republican politicians and voting against their best interests who were being financed by the lumber companies.

[MJW]

11. yes ridicule !

I am the target of derision for most of my extended family The rest think the old lady is so "cute" with her weird ideas of equality and fairness . A couple of them even agree with me

[lifesbeautifulmagic]

7. yes, someone road raged me pretty near all the way home from the transit center - with

shouts and hand gestures - my Kerry/Edwards bumbersticker apparently set him off.

I was scared beyond belief.

During election times, I have a bunch of dem signs in my yard. One morning, they were all trashed, and my mailbox was bashed in.

[margotb822]

9. I'm in the military, so, yes definitely

People are always calling me a terrorist, but when I point out that Islamic terrorists are typically religious conservatives, they shut up real fast. They have no way of reconciling reality with what they've been told to believe.

But, I've been talking to my boss about the recent shooting (UU and Ark Dem), and I ask him to show me an example of a liberal shooting a conservative like this, and they're just not out there. He says "that's not me," and I say "well, it's closer to you than me" and we get into "discussions" about preaching hate and fear. Repubs just don't have what it takes to be unifying leaders because that's not what they believe in.

[Swamp Rat]

12. Keep reminding him of our own religious extremists who would gladly sacrifice HIM in a holy war

Our Talibornagain preach death and hatred in their mega-churches every week and on TV, raking in millions of dollars to support their christofascist manifesto, while damnin the "ragheads" and "Islamofascists" to Hell.

Many in my family have served and some are still serving in the military. ALL of them are against war, especially the Iraq Invasion, and often speak with compassion and empathy about the people we've bombed and killed. :(

[Swamp Rat]

10. For being a New Orleanian.

[Missy Vixen]

13. I've been threatened for being a liberal

One of our neighbors called us "traitors" and said we "should be shot" in the direct aftermath of 9/11. We left their house and never returned. We also contacted the local police. They're now living in Las Vegas, and I'm sure the neighborhood is enjoying them.

The local right-wing-whacko radio station gave a "rally" in our hometown directly after 9/11. I held local political office at the time. I was told by one of the city's police officers that I needed to go home. He couldn't guarantee my safety if I stayed. After all, I was standing silently, observing the proceedings, and wearing a dove button that was less than 1" across on my jacket. The local merchants were upset because the "rally" scared off any business they might have been able to transact for the better part of a day. Did I mention that the vast majority of the attendees were bussed in, fed and watered from other communities? They didn't even LIVE here!

There are no examples of liberals doing anything of the sort to Republicans. The type that threaten their neighbors and attend pro-war "rallies" are spoiling for a fight. The only method they have of resolving differences is violence.

Julie

[backscatter712]

15. Yep, at an anti-war protest.

Out on a sidewalk with some other protesters holding up signs against the Iraq War, there's always some morans in pick-em-up trucks that engage in juvenile harassment. One time, one of these rednecks shouted "I'M GONNA KILL YOU!!!" Wonderful human being...

[SheilaT]

16. Not really.

I used to have some pretty inflammatory bumper stickers on my car. My personal favorite (I'd get them made up at www.bumperstickers.com) was one that said "He wasn't elected on September 11, either). Occasionally someone would say something rude, but more often people wanted to know where I got them. For a while I carried spares in my car to give to interested people.

Then I got a replacement car and I don't currently have any bumper stickers at all.

Oh, and during the lead-up to the Iraq war, we had various anti-war yard signs in our yard. Two or three times we had home made signs show up either supporting the war or intending to insult us. We actually felt that a useful dialog might be going on, so we left the new signs up for a week or two. People would slow down to read them. Sadly, the homemade signs were full of mis-spellings.

[2Design]

17. yes - intuition says to be careful - I have seen them go after peoples jobs, etc n/t

[guitar man]

18. yes, now

I never did before, most people don't make me out as a liberal until someone says something too ignorant for me to let slide and I can't keep silent anymore. Then it's funny to see the shock and surprise on their faces when my Harley-riding, black leather clad, pickup truck-driving rural self lays some intellectual truth into the middle of the discussion. :D

But, last night, I was talking to my wife on the phone and she said, in the light of the UU shootings and the shooting yesterday that she doesn't think we should put an Obama sign in our yard this year. She said if it was just us, no problem, but with a precious 2 year old daughter at home, she doesn't want to risk it.

I'm currently agonizing over whether to put the sign up or not, but I'm tending to agree with her, sadly. I'm angry, sad and just a little bit frightened, for my daughter more than myself. Damn them all to hell!! :grr:

[Neurotica]

19. Crazy group that targets Planned Parenthood clinics responded to my LTE

Several years ago I wrote a LTE (local paper) regarding a state bill on emergency contraception. The day my letter appeared in the online version of the newspaper, the spokesperson for this group responded electronically to my letter with his own comments. He did not threaten me, but the fact that this person (who does not live in the same area) had read my letter, knew my name, and knew where I lived scared the hell of out me.

A friend alerted me and I called the police (as well as the editor of the paper). An officer came to my house, but since I had not been threatened directly, there was nothing he could do besides offer safety tips.

What scared me the most is that I don't think that this spokesperson monitors our local papers. I think someone here alerted him to my letter.

I was very much concerned for a long time for my family and was ready to move very far away. I was also ready to curtail my involvement in speaking out on First Amendment issues. Those feelings have somewhat lessened, but I am much more aware of what's going on around me than I used to be. And I have decided that it's more important to speak out and set a good example for my children than to be intimidated.

[L. Coyote]

20. Before Iran-Contra, got stabbed 9 times while investigating illegal aid in Central America.

Does that count? If not, I can recount a whole lot more stuff!

[bbernardini]

32. 9 times during one incident, or 9 separate stabbing incidents?

Either way sucks, obviously, but I'm curious.

[L. Coyote]

38. First 8 in the left forearm, last one in the kicking leg (target crushed nonetheless)

60 over 40 blood pressure on arrival at hospital. My life was saved by the locals on the street speedily applying a tourniquet as a pool of blood grew at my feet.

[TooBigaTent]

21. I have encountered much more of this in the past eight years than in my "youth" although there

are several explanations.

Even growing up in very right-wing Newport News, Virginia - things were calmer back then. Having long hair, I was constantly hit with the "get a haircut, hippie" comment. Most of those were fairly harmless, or at least, i took them as a natural part of living there then. Of course, there was an incident when a friend's van was shot up by some rednecks (an assumption because we did not witness the shooting) and the cops told us that we were the ones who would get arrested if we did not remove the eyesore from the public streets.

We just knew never to go anywhere alone. There is safety in numbers and right-wing bullies are always cowards who attack in groups (or attack a defenseless victim).

Even during the late 60's and esp. the 1968 political season, the violent intent that you see these days was not generally present.

After I moved north (near to Philly), things were not as bad - at least for a while. I was a largish guy who frequently wore a leather jacket. Thus, I did not look like a good, weak victim. Interestingly, after I aged a bit, developed gray hair, and lost a lot of weight, the personal verbal attacks have increased in frequency. I guess I am a more attractive target now.

I have noticed a marked increase in right-wing rage of various sorts (on the road and elsewhere) over the past decade or so. Cars have been keyed (more than once). A side-view mirror was snapped off. Many instances of road-rage encounters with the bulging eyes, red faces and screaming mouths so typical of repukes. Lawn signs removed, windows broken, and property damaged around election time.

Of particular concern is the tactic of vehicular intimidation - an asshole in an SUV or big pick-up rides your ass extremely close - filling up the entire rear view mirror. Driving an little Neon, I am not going to try and make a point by putting my little car up against a tank.

These things are happening much more frequently, even though this area is supposed to be more "liberal" than Virginia in the 60s. I do blame it on hate radio and other corporate media for promoting the libs-as-traitors theme. The message is no longer, "America - love it or leave it." It has become open season on liberals and Democrats. With there being no consequences for these actions, the right has learned that they can get away with murder. So obviously, anything short of actually killing someone is just "a fraternity prank" and not really serious.

confession - I have removed repuke signs myself, but only from public property where they are not supposed to be placed.

[barbtries]

42. i did it once myself,

but only because it was stuck on a house that was under construction - the owners had al gore signs inside the fence and some bushwhacker had stuck one of their's on the fence. i took it off, believing i was doing a good deed and respecting the owner's property more than whoever left the sign had.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

22. Many times.

The worst being at a vets protest against the war in Vietnam in L.A.

Scared cops with shotguns kept circling us as we marched around the federal building. Scared people with guns tend to be dangerous.

Nothing happened except after we broke up they beat the hell out of one of the guys.

[Avalux]

23. This just happened to me.

I can't definitely say it's because I'm a liberal/Democrat, but...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=6634661&mesg_id=6634661

[tammywammy]

24. No

[SmokingJacket]

25. Only when I lived in certain areas.

In one area down south, for instance: I was called "n-lover," and physically intimidated.

[kevinmc]

26. Nope ..... never have. n/t

[Warpy]

27. Not since the 60s. My conventional appearance keeps me safe

even when I speak up and say "No, you're wrong," and leave it at that. I guess they're not quite up to picking on Grandma.

I did see someone deal very effectively with this once, a young black guy in Boston I never saw again, someone who was incredibly wise beyond his years.

"Look at you, picking on a kid, and people staring at you like you're a two year old having a temper tantrum in a store. I'd be real ashamed to have people looking at me like that!"

The ranter just sort of slunk away. It was beautiful. It was the perfect thing to say in that particular situation, a pudgy white guy in a suit screaming at a black kid for being black, basically. I've always regretted not having that kid among my acquaintances.

(everybody in the area did give him a thumbs up)

[madmom]

28. No threat, but harassment.. sister-in-law and her hubby used to send b*sh propaganda e-mails all

the time. I simply sent pro Kerry e-mails and hit reply to all, after a couple of those I receive one from her hubby saying he didn't "appreciate" that I told him if you can't stand the heat...worked great haven't got an e-mail from them in years!

[lumberjack_jeff]

30. Yes. I got over it.

I return the favor at every opportunity these days.

I draw the line at defacing campaign signs. I have some dignity.

[KharmaTrain]

31. In My Mailbox...

20 years ago I was doing a talk show on a 50,000 "blowtorch"...the signal reached a dozen states during the day and, at that time, 30 plus at night. It was the final days of the '88 campaign and tried to do "town halls" where people could call in and express their opinions on the election. One program featured many callers who were pro-Dukakis and a couple days later, nice little "fan" letter from a listener who had obviously done their homework...reminding me what had just happened to that "dirty Jew" Alan Berg (a Denver talk radio host who was murdered) could easily happen to me.

Needless to say I had quite a few sleepless nights after that.

[Name removed]

33. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[RainDog]

34. I've been verbally attacked, but not physically.

One guy wrote about me on his "blogs for Bush" blog and made it clear where I was located and made comments about "the people's republic of," and how liberals (me, of course) were dangerous to this nation.

I wouldn't have known about it except that someone told me and so I contacted the guy and told him if any harm came to anyone in that place, or any harm came to the physical space he wrote about, I would make sure he would be financially destroyed because I would sue his ass into next year.

He took it down.

I had college boys tell me I must be a lesbian if I didn't support republicans after he told me the republicans were going to take over my town and I told him he didn't have to live in that particular city if he didn't like it. When he told me I must be a lesbian I said, "No, but you're obviously a motherfucker."

I've had shouting moments with counter demonstrators before the Iraq invasion.

I had a man who is in a militia tell me that he and his "group" were ready to fight but that HE had told them he would not turn his guns on another American. Which meant, in this context, that his militia buddies were willing to turn their guns on fellow americans.

That was the one that freaked me out the most.

I was visited by the FBI, along with about a dozen other people in my town, when they were doing some flying over the city. But I wasn't questioned about myself. Just like the others here, we were all questioned about "someone else." I'm fairly positive someone in a car took my picture b/c the agent leaned out over the porch railing and looked over as if to make sure it was done.

that was pretty freaky. my next door neighbor was one of the ppl questioned too because he's the one who made a ruckus about the planes flying overhead.

I didn't provoke any of those moments. I also didn't back away. I'm a female, a mom of two, middle-aged and I have never been a danger to a soul. However, if these assholes want to fight, I will not take it without giving back as good as I get. (Not the FBI, of course.)

You have to be willing to fight back, as with all bullies.

[ailsagirl]

35. I won't put on bumper stickers... it can incite the right

[Reader Rabbit]

36. When I was less than two, a man dumped grass clippings on me.

My mom was canvassing for Tom Bradley (first African American mayor of Los Angeles) during his unsuccessful first run in 1969, and she was pushing me along in my stroller as she did so. Some guy mowing his lawn was so furious that she was campaigning for "a n****r" that he emptied the contents of his lawn mower on me in my stroller.

Brave guy.

[noamnety]

37. My daugher's boyfriend

showed up at our door covered in blood from head to toe, with glass shards all over, walked into the house and had a seizure.

He drove 5 hours to get here - and once he got to our street another car came up behind him, started honking frantically like something was wrong, he stopped. Someone got out of their car and smashed a bottle through his window into his head.

The only thing we can think of that might have sparked it was that he had a vegan sticker on his car - but there's no way to know for sure - might have just been a random act.

[L. Coyote]

39. Do assassinations count? I was working in the RKF campaign.

Also, a friend and fellow researcher was assassinated.

[cobalt1999]

40. No. Not for political views

However, down here in the bible belt, being an atheist is considered 10 times worse than being a democrat.

[zippy890]

41. no. in fact I feel a little sorry for my republican neighbor

(not that sorry ;-) )

here in liberal heavily Democratic town in MASS. Head of the local republicans is a neighbor - he puts up big signs which look so out of sync with everthing else that we just laugh.

[EnviroBat]

43. Naw, not really. The "badass" Redneck republicans around here

usually bully women, and old people that are alone. If they attempt to fuck with me, I usually look at them with confusion and say,

"Sorry. I don't Speak Hillbilly."

That always sends them into roid-rage. I just laugh and laugh... :rofl:

[SeattleGirl]

44. In 2004, I has a Kerry/Edwards sticker in the back window of my car.

On several trips to Oregon that year, guys driving big trucks used to get real close to my rear bumper and stare angrily at me in my rear view mirror. I would change lanes to get away from them, and several times, the trucks would change lanes too. One guy scared me so badly, I got off the freeway at the nearest exit. Fortunately, he did not follow me.

I refused to take the bumper sticker out of the window though, and now I have an Obama sticker in the back window. Haven't had anything bad happen here in SeattleLand, but I also haven't driven to Oregon since I got the sticker (not out of fear, but because of the high cost of gas).

[leftofthedial]

45. had my car vandalized

which later caused a serious accident

I was accosted in the parking lot of a bar by occupants of a bush-stickered SUV who took threatening exception to my DU and Kerry Edwards stickers...until they realized I am a big guy with no intention of being bullied by a bunch of idiots.

when I left later, my car handled funny. After the wreck, it was found that someone or something had damaged one of my car wheels. Maybe it wasn't them.

[Javaman]

46. Hell yes, I live in texas.

:rant:

I had moron* for our failed crooked governor before the rest of the country suffered his* blight.

he* was like fucking god around here for years. made me vomit.

anytime I spoke up and gave my opinion on moron* it was like I took a giant dump in everyones food.

then when he* was appointed, I was the lone voice where I work speaking reason. everyone one had either the man crush or wet dreams over the fucking idiot*. Yet I still spoke up. I got threatening letters on my car, my car keyed, vain attempts of someone trying to pull off my bumper stickers, been called a communist (I love that one and laughed in the morons face), been called unamerican, been called a terrorist, etc.

so damn straight I have felt threatened and have at times feared for my life do to some morons in the building that I work in.

All this in "liberal" Austin.

now all those same little nazi supporting repukes that championed fucking asshole morons* rise to power all suddenly seem in denial about their support for him.

I kept all the emails and when they spout off over how they never supported that fucking colossal halfwit of a semi-human*, I send them one of their hate filled emails that they sent me.

I don't give a rats ass who they vote for and frankly, if they vote for Obama, fine, but I will not give them an inch nor a foot for the way they treated me and spoke to me.

once a fucking mouth breathing fucking moron, always a mouth breathing fucking moron. they don't support Obama, they just don't want to be associated with the fucking barking dog* anymore.

:rant:

[Rocknrule]

47. Only on the Internet

But a little off topic, when I went to a church camp as a kid a couple times, I was called names and made fun of a few times for being Asian - one time even by a counselor. I guess they didn't think Asians could be Christian or something.

[Blue_In_AK]

48. I've never felt threatened in Alaska,

not by people anyway. I ran into a lot more scariness in Texas and Colorado back in my hippie days back in the late '60s than I ever have here. Since we're ALL a bunch of oddballs and outcasts in this state, we're pretty tolerant of each other's idiosyncrasies.

[PermanentRevolution]

49. Not exactly...

Being a shaved-headed, tattoo-covered, kinda big guy tends to keep people's tempers in check, I find...

I have been yelled at a few times for wearing a Che Guevara t-shirt around Miami - but I have to confess, I generally find it more funny than frightening when it happens.

[graywarrior]

50. I got run off the road twice in Florida because I had a Kerry sticker on my car

[niyad]

51. I have had death threats from anti-choicers and the kkk--I have had hateful mail

and email. I was assaulted at a roe v wade rally in CA. I have had invective hurled at me at peace marches. and I have had the most unchristian things screamed at me by so-called christians.

[callous taoboy]

52. Right before the 2004 election, my RW neighbor lost his mind

I had never spoken to the man before as he had just recently married the woman next door whom I had always been on great terms with. Anyway, one morning I saw him in his backyard and I very politely asked him if he could keep his dog from howling by my bedroom window when he let him out to pee at 2 a.m. This didn't go over well, as I heard him grumbling to his wife about "the neighbor bitching about the dog" as he walked inside. He had the day to stew on this, I guess, and many hours later as I was returning from my walk he came barreling out of his front door screaming, "Hey, you goddamned liberal, why don't you just move!" I calmly replied, "That is not going to happen and I don't understand your hostility." That set him off even more and he went on this crazy rant about me being a liberal and when he stopped to see my reaction I said, "So I guess the next time your dog wakes me up it'll be a law enforcement matter," and I went on down my drive and into my house as he continued to rant about my lawn being a disgrace, how people at my job have said I'm incompetent (hmmmm, yeah so that would explain me getting teacher of the year that year). He's been nice ever since, and we wave at each other as we pass. The best revenge, people, is to not let it bother you and be the bigger man / woman.

On edit:
The dog hasn't made a peep since.

[calimary]

53. Had my car keyed and my tires slashed because of my bumper stickers.

"bush KNEW," "War is Not the Answer," and "Dean for America."

Also got some AWFULLY dirty looks and a few flying fingers shaken at me while driving.

And during various war protests, more rude gestures and shouts from passing bush perverts.

Hey, BACK ATCHA!

They can bite me. If they're trying to intimidate, they'll have to look somewhere else. I regarded the key marks on my car as a badge of honor. That's the kind of shit THEIR SIDE does. OUR side doesn't do that shit. We don't crawl out of the gutter every day like they do.

[krabigirl]

54. No. Ridiculed at work (live in Orange County), but never threatened.

[DeadElephant_ORG]

55. never in Berkeley or Oakland, CA. Nor have I ever seen conservatives harrassed here. n/t

[ThatsMyBarack]

56. My last car had a bunch of Dem./Liberal stickers....

And I got cut off and finger-flipped by a guy driving a luxury convertible with a "W Our President" sticker on it!

My new Honda only has an "OBAMA '08" sticker on it, for now. :patriot:

[Firespirit]

57. I've had action taken against me for being a liberal.

In early 2005 I was in grad school, on a scholarship program that paid tuition and guaranteed a job in my field in the federal government after I was finished. The catch, if I didn't finish, or got out of the program, I'd have to pay back the tuition and stipend. No big deal, I thought, as I had no intention of leaving or quitting.

I was doing some voluntary work at the time with the staff of one of our members of Congress, over the election fraud in 2004, doing some statistical analysis on the returns. I didn't keep this a secret at school, to classmates at any rate. What I did not know, my major professor was a former Army guy with close ties to the White House. Evidently it got back around to him. Out of the blue, he terminated the scholarship, messing up my credit, libeling me, and basically running me out of school. I found out later that a day before he did this, he had been in a meeting with a DHS heavyweight and an associate of Karl Rove. I have no doubt that it was tied in with the purge of the Justice Dept. and the malicious prosecution of Gov. Siegelman.

[barbtries]

63. can you sue him?

[barbtries]

68. have you seen this thread?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x3440663

it seems to me there should be some recourse for what you have been put through. maybe you could contact these people's counsel to find out.

[kestrel91316]

58. My "Defend America, Defeat Bush" bumper sticker (which is still on, BTW),

used to attract a fair bit of road rage around 2004. Not anymore. Now I get people (even in 2008) praising it.

[AllieB]

59. Yes. And I live in liberal Massachusetts.

If was in '04 and a nutcase followed me off the exit to my then home. Instead of stopping at my house, I took him on a circuitous route through the city where I was living at the time to the police station.

[theboss]

60. How do people know your politics?

I mean, my friends know my politics and maybe a few of my co-workers do. But aside from that, how do people know what I think?

[AllieB]

62. Bumper stickers. Signs in yards during election.

Some people have been threatened while participating in peaceful demonstrations.

Actually, I think your political leanings are pretty obvious. ;-)

[theboss]

66. I think bumper stickers are idiotic

I sometimes put signs up. I live in condo facing a courtyard though, so I am not positive of the point.

[proud patriot]

61. Yes . But that is life on the Front Lines with No anonymity

Many incidents right after 9/11 .. They have wained a bit
but I'm sure they will ramp up again as the election draws
near.

I was told to my face that I "should be hung for treason ." by
a perfect stranger just before we invaded Iraq.

I replied "it is not I it's bush who should be tried for treason"

Nasty notes under my windshield wiper . My car gets keyed
and kicked . New dents and scratches are various.

A "support the troops vote bush out" sign was stolen and then
returned a month later defaced with bush stickers and a sharpie
thanking god for bush .

The worst are the letters sent to my home after I write a LTTE.

All are documented under one case number at the local police station.

I'm an expert on republican hate . I've lots more stories .
My favorite line these days is telling them they really should
read the Constitution . Perhaps they would be happier moving to
a dictatorship. We in America are Free . Support the troops give
them back to their families Alive .

[Stinky The Clown]

64. No, never. And I am 'in your face' pugnacious about my liberalism

I suspect people just avoid talking to me about it. I can be a real asshole.

[tilsammans]

65. Professionally . . .

I am very certain my liberal views were used against me on one particular job. Crappy raises and bonuses, slow to get (well-earned) promotions. :grr:

[rebel with a cause]

67. Hell yeah!!

During the Vietnam war, told many times to "love it or leave it". Was young then and didn't mind because we all know everything when we are young.

During the 1990s while protesting a KKK rally. Had to have police protection until the thing was over and dispersed. Scary, but enjoyable because we broke up the rally. :evilgrin:

In 2001 and 2002 when I was told to "love it or leave it" when I spoke out about bush's war policies. Was older and didn't mind because the ones telling me that were young and didn't know anything.

In 2004 when I was in a Dollar Store (had never shopped there before but needed rubber bands I think) the man checking out in front of me said something to me which I thought was anti-bush, so I said something back to him. Well, I was wrong and he was a big bushite and he went off on me, the clerk then joined him. The man left and the clerk continued her rage and her manager joined us, I breathed a sign of relief (thinking he would tell her to calm down) only to only have him join her in their verbal intimidation to me. I had long stopped talking but as I walked out of the store, I turned to them and informed them that I would never shop in their store again and neither would any of my friends. I have never went back and I did inform several people of their right leaning and they were as put out by it as I was. Oh, I found out they had a reputation for that sort of thing, big bushites.

Other times were less impressive and other threats were for different reasons. ;)