STUPID ACT OF VIOLENCE

I got an email today from a long-time listener, first-time caller. She's heavily involved with the Obama for America campaign, working on his campaign for 2 years. Saturday morning she was greeted with red paint on her car. Nice. Some yahoo decided the best way to show his/her disagreement of who should be the next President was to paint over her Obama bumper stickers. Keeping it classy.

As she wrote to me:

"I have set-up tables and make-shift information sites on the corners of Bay Ridge and the 13th CD since March of 2007, registering thousands of voters, providing information, campaigning, petitioning non-stop to get candidates on the 13th Congressional District ballots, phone banking for hours and hours, and, after nearly 2 years of activism in the neighborhood and Staten Island, this is what I am greeted with Saturday morning.

My Bay Ridge neighbors have had every chance under the sun to confront me, disagree, discuss, argue, debate, et al. (we have also opened up our apartment for 8 separate meetings!) regarding these times and this election, yet this, THIS, is how they choose to communicate."

Understandably, she's furious. And who wouldn't be? Sure Bay Ridge is a predominantly Republican neighborhood and Obama may not be the candidate of choice, but that doesn't give anyone the right to vandalize property. It's alright to disagree. Hell, that's what makes it a ballgame. But when disagreement turns to violence, then we have a huge problem.

Ours should be a country united, not divided.

As the reader went on to say:

"I love this neighborhood, and I expect nothing in return with the exception of simple, legal decency."

Unfortunately, the national campaign has become increasingly nasty. But let's not forget we're all in this together. Nothing will be gained if we remain so viciously divided. Let's hope we're not greeted with stupid acts of violence like this over the next few days.