Right-Wing Thuggery

I was vastly annoyed to hear that the local protest in Land Park that featured a U.S. soldier hung in effigy (a story carried nationwide by Drudge) came to an end because trespassers stole the effigy. Supposed conservative respect for the law was shown to be a sham:

"I'm a huge military supporter, and I've got some good friends over in Iraq right now," said Mike Coates, 25, of Fair Oaks.

Coates heard about it on the radio and drove by Wednesday afternoon with a ladder in his pickup truck to take down the effigy. It was already gone.

The camouflage fatigues, noose and U.S. flag that was bundled as a head were partially ripped down by someone who fell off the facade of the house in doing so, according to neighbors. The rest was taken by someone on a motorcycle, they said.

Fascistic tendencies of the neighbors also came into focus as well:

Neighbor Marque Cohen, however, has made repeated calls to police and city officials to get the Pearcys' protests removed.

"I'm outraged," he said. "The First Amendment is fine, but I think it's definitely being abused. The forefathers wouldn't have agreed to this type of thing. This is more like malice."

Respectful disapproval was nevertheless also heard from another neighbor:

"I don't necessarily agree with everything (Pearcy) puts up there, but it's his right," she said.

I say, a person's house is their castle, and they have the widest possible latitude on deciding whether or what political protest they want to display on their own property, without interference from disapproving ruffians or neighbors. That is what being an American citizen is all about! Freedom of expression! And where better to express yourself than from your own property?

When Bush supporters in my neighborhood of Curtis Park wrote into the local paper, "The Sierra Viewpoint" four months ago and asked their pro-Kerry neighbors (such as myself) not to rip up their Bush lawn signs, we complied. It was the right thing to do. So where's the fair play?