Gregoire Supporters in Deep Doo-Doo

A friend of mine has had a large 4x8 Dino Rossi sign for a few months. He has been plagued by one of Gregoire's supporters; they keep knocking his sign down. He has done something about it. Here is his email to me:

This is the Dino sign on my property.  Every time it gets put up, it gets knocked down.  In an effort to impede the casual efforts of those that think that I am not entitled to my right to freedom of speech, I have  bolted the sign to 4 x 4's in concrete and dumped 10 yards of steer manure around it.

If they want to knock it down, it will take more horsepower and they can step through some of the same BS that they like to dish out.

As I drive around Olympia, I see numerous Dino signs knocked to the ground.  I never see Christine signs knocked over.  Come to think of it, I don't see any large Christine signs at all.

It seems that Christine's supporters aren't able to engage in persuasive conversation supporting their candidate.  They can only attempt to silence those of us that can.

Standing in front of the sign is my friend Adolfo.  Adolfo left Cuba after Castro when to power.  He wanted to come to a place where freedom was a right.  Where freedom of speech was for all people.  I guess for Christine's helpers, freedom of speech is only afforded to those that they agree with. When only one opinion can be allowed, isn't that fascism?

Thanks,

J R

Rossi Signs Conform to Lacey's Tough Standard

Dino Rossi supporters installed large political signs that comply with the onerous City of Lacey Sign code. The ingenious solution was to create three 10 sq.ft. signs that when installed next to each other read as one large sign.

Not to be discouraged by the sign ordinance Rossi supporters continue to get the advertising out for Rossi.

Scott Roberts, the volunteer sign coordinator said, "Regardless of how difficult the sign ordinance is, we need to comply. That is the first order of business. Then we are working to get Dino Rossi's name out in as positive a light as possible."

The issue however isn't over for Roberts. He continued, "We are now investigating strategies for changing the ordinance. I'm particularly upset that the City is censoring political messages, and limiting my freedom of speech. It's also highly unusual that a City would trespass and steal personal property."

Rossi Signs Downsized in Lacey

The Dino Rossi signs in Lacey have been downsized. The city ordinance states that temporary political signs may only be 10 square feet in size. Doug Kramer the city's code compliance officer demanded that the signs be taken down or the city will confiscate them. The volunteer sign brigade took extra care to ensure that all signs installed were on private property and had the owner's permission. There were a few signs that were not installed because the volunteers had some question about the specific location or some other reason. Scott Roberts the sign volunteer coordinator said, "It feels like the secret police. I feel censored. The part about the city coming on private property and confiscating signs? Something just doesn't feel right about that. What's next? Will the city decide to take your radio if you violate the noise ordinance? Where will this stop?" Apparently, the city's code does allow for them to confiscate signs, even if on private property. The sign code reads:

http://www.ci.lacey.wa.us/lmc/title_16/chapter_16-75.htm

5. Political signs. No sign permit is required. Political signs or posters may be placed upon private property only and shall not be larger than ten square feet of sign area and shall not be posted or attached to telephone poles, power poles or other public utility facilities. Such signs must be removed seven days after the election in which the candidate or issue advertised on a sign has been determined. For a successful candidate in a primary election the sign may remain until the final election, but shall be removed within seven days after the election. The candidate or committee for which the sign is displayed shall be responsible for its removal and subject to the penalties as provided in this code.

And the penalty is:

Any unlawful temporary or portable type sign located on private property which has not been removed after twenty-four hours from notification may be removed by the city. The sign may be reclaimed by the owner after a civil penalty of $100 has been paid. If the sign has not been reclaimed within thirty days of its removal by the city, the city may sell or otherwise dispose of the sign and apply the proceeds toward costs of the removal. Any proceeds in excess of costs of the removal shall be paid to the owner of the sign.

Do you feel this is in violation of your constitutional right to free speech and involvement in the political process? Comment below!

Rossi Sign Defaced in West Olympia

This past weekend, vandals attacked three large political signs in West Olympia. The political signs are in support of Dino Rossi in his race for Governor. Scott Roberts, the event coordinator said, "We really wanted to project a positive message that is reflective of how we feel about Dino Rossi. It's too bad that the opposition has to stoop this low. Why don't they just support their candidate of choice? This is mean-spirited politics at its worst." The vandalism is on the heels of the controversy surrounding BIAW for installing billboards in Eastern Washington. The billboards said "Don't let Seattle Steal This Election." and were denounced by both the Rossi and Gregoire campaigns. Roberts said, "I think the billboards in Eastern Washington created such controversy because there is a certain element of truth to it. We really wanted to stay away from controversy and promote a positive message about Rossi. It's sad that the opposition had to resort to vandalism. It doesn't speak highly of their candidate."