WHILE SON WAS CANVASSING FOR PACIFIC NORTHWEST STATE DEMOCRAT

[Joe Nation]

He happened on a house in a rural area of town and noticed targets or cross-hairs on the pumpkins of this one house on his route and lots and lots of Second Amendment signs, threatening Second Amendment signs. He knocks on the door and a guy answers with a gun in his hand. My son cheerfully explains that he is going door to door raising awareness about the upcoming midterm election and asking for support for the Democratic candidate he was canvassing for. The homeowner released the safety on his pistol as told my son that he should leave. My son said thank you and walked away.

It is probably hard for you or I to put ourselves in the mindset of this person, but at the same time, how far is someone like this guy from snapping and becoming the next mass shooter? All I know is that we have to defeat the culture of violence simmering beneath the surface of some of these extremists and drive their paranoid ideology from the public square once and for all. The idea that guns, threats, and violence can alleviate the fears and anxieties that have been instilled in these scared little men by supposed leaders with their dog whistle rhetoric has to be challenged by all of us every single day.

The push-back on the tactics of fear and division culminates on Tuesday. For the sake of the future of this country, find as many someones as you can between now and Tuesday and drive them to the polls. For my children, for your children, for all of our children, lets leave them a better future than the one that seems to be careening towards us all.

[uponit7771]

1. They're scared, very scared ... glad your son reacted in a positive way and left.

[Glamrock]

2. How ironic is it that

as i read your post, the ad next to it was a t-shirt of two shoulder holsters and guns and a bandolier?

[ZZenith]

4. Not ironic at all - the algorithms in these targeted advertisements are insidious.

We have all been assimilated.

[2naSalit]

36. Try this...

it gets rid of all that...

https://www.ghostery.com/

[ZZenith]

43. This works also...

https://www.democraticunderground.com/star

[2naSalit]

44. That too!

I have both. Ghostery works for everywhere else. Should have mentioned the star part!

[spanone]

3. I'm glad your son was not harmed.

trump keeps fanning the flames ....

[Marie Marie]

5. Wow - glad that your son was unharmed.

And good for him for canvassing.

[ProudLib72]

6. I would not have knocked on that guy's door

That is some really scary shit right there!

[Laffy Kat]

22. I'm with you. I see Second Amendment sh%t, I'm outta there.

Glad he is alright. People are nuts right now, or at least showing their true colors.

[LonePirate]

7. I don't understand why they are so angry and scared.

[MiniMe]

13. Because the NRA is telling them that the democrats will be taking their guns away

[smirkymonkey]

27. But the reason they have guns in the first place is because they are so angry and scared.

What is their real problem?

[BumRushDaShow]

30. This has been my thought as well

IMHO, I expect many of them are burdened with work issues, family issues, & health issues, where each situation continues to drain them of whatever little money they have and whatever patience they can muster. So that drain just adds on and magnifies their frustration and the GOP has craftily redirected their angst by telling them to "blame" <fill in the blank - "Democrats", "minorities", "non-Christians", "liberals"> for all their ills.

WE know that solving the myriad of problems that people often have is difficult and complex, but some folks would rather choose the "easy route" by assigning blame elsewhere... And in a way, that does allow them to "blow off steam" in a more virulent and violent way. But their doing this is only a short term fix because guess what? Their workplace, home/family, and health issues don't suddenly go away because the "whip 'em into a frenzy" nonsensical solution always fails in the long term. It was a "solution" that had no connection to nor any possibility of correcting their problems. So what happens is that they end up in jail or in the hospital or out on the streets sleeping on a bench or 6ft under.

Case in point is the whole Palin family train wreck saga. In a way, that family is illustrative of many of the people who are attracted to the extreme fringes of politics. They lack coping skills.

[smirkymonkey]

33. You are exactly right!

This is a very complex problem. Unfortunately they choose what they think is a simple solution, but it is no solution at all. The solution is multi-faceted and complex and requires some effort on their part. Most of them are not willing to look inward and do the work. They would rather point the finger and blame.

[BumRushDaShow]

34. That sums it up perfectly.

Fortunately more of us than them realize that life is not easy (and can often be harrowing) but none of our problems can be solved through a "2nd Amendment solution".

[SammyWinstonJack]

31. They're told that at every election and it NEVER happens. Just how STUPID

are these people that they don't get the disconnect between what their republican candidate tells them and what actually does or doesn't happen. Total morons.

[MiniMe]

42. Exactly

[Kurt V.]

28. fox news

[The Genealogist]

32. Have you ever heard any RW radio and/or "news?"

All day, every day, listeners are pummeled with messages to be afraid.

Afraid of Democrats
Afraid of Liberals
Afraid of people coming to take their guns
Afraid of LGBTQ people
Afraid of hordes of brown people storming across the border to take steal everything
Afraid of black people
Afraid of Jewish people
Afraid of the government

They have been convinced through constant repetition that these groups and more are bent on destroying their lives. Taking away their livelihoods and destroying their families. They are taught to fear and hate. There are ridiculous conspiracy theories too numerous to mention.

They are also convinced Donald Trump, his cronies and his allies in the Republican party are going to destroy all these groups, so they no longer have to be afraid.

[TomSlick]

8. I'd recommend reporting this to the police.

You are generally privileged to knock on a door. There is no justification for threatening with a deadly weapon.

I worry this guy may be mentally ill and armed - not a good combination. The police ought to go talk with him.

[renate]

9. Absolutely! At least to get it on record that this guy answers his door with a gun

Good lord. What a miserable existence he leads. And I’m not sorry because it’s the existence he chose.

I am so glad your son is safe. He is a brave young man... your heart must have stopped when you heard about this.

[pnwmom]

16. Answers the door with a gun -- and releases the safety! n/t

[MontanaMama]

11. I'm happy your son wasn't hurt.

Please have him report the incident to the police and to the Dem office he was canvassing for. Nobody should be knocking on this guy’s door other than the police.

[KT2000]

10. I've posted this before

My postal carrier told me another carrier knocked on the door to deliver an Amazon package. The man answered with his gun drawn and she had a red dot on her chest. I hope they reported him, but at any rate, he now has to pick up is mail at the post office.
This is not OK.

[Midnight Writer]

20. "They" think it is OK. In fact, they think it is funny.

It's like a comic meme. The citizen holding the hapless Government Man in his Second Amendment cross hairs.

I, myself, was a Postal Carrier in a small, rural farm town that had a Christian Church on every corner.

No dog laws in town. I can't even guess how many times I was bit by a dog. Lots.

But I figure there were even more times I was greeted by a firearm. From guns in the face on a front porch, to fellows tracking you as you walk in their rifle scopes, to laser dots painting your chest, to very casually greeting you while holding or packing a gun and then bragging about their hunter/soldier/survival/marksman skills.

I swear these fools would rather give up their peckers than give up their guns. Their honor, their tradition, their manhood, their patriotism, all wrapped up in a symbolic totem that kills people.

[KT2000]

23. at the very least -

they should have to pick up their mail at the post office. No one should have to put up with that. Let's see how funny that would be for them.

[Throck]

41. My ex-sister in law is a postal inspector.

Basically what you described is the breaking of a federal law. Someone's supervisor didn't do their job. She's had to have aggressive dogs put down, someone like this it's clear cut, the law was broken. She takes care of the people who work for her.

[magicarpet]

12. A shell of a human being filled head to toe with shit.

No heart, no brain,.. just shit.

[quickesst]

14. The crosshairs on the pumpkins...

.... and the second amendment rights signs should have been his first clues that any interaction with this individual would be fruitless. Your son is lucky to be alive.

[RhodeIslandOne]

18. Agree

If he thought he was trolling him he would have shot him.

[quickesst]

29. It only takes one...

.... wrong one.

[progressoid]

15. I skip those houses when canvasing. It's a waste of time.

We have too many other houses to get to. No sense in dealing with someone who advertises that they are likely Republicans.

[lastlib]

17. If you'd said Midwest, I'd think he knocked on my brother's door.

"Gun humper" doesn't begin to describe him. But I could see someone such as your son encountering that scenario with him..... It scares the Jesus out of me....

[912gdm]

19. use the old 'think off the children' excuse to the local PD.

complain and make a convoluted what-if story about a bunch of Girl Scouts going to his door to sell cookies.

[murielm99]

21. I have done a lot of canvassing.

I live in a rural red area. You would be surprised. The Democrats are out there. I know my town and know how to find them.

Never canvas alone.

This year, we went out with a state level candidate. We had VAN printouts. At one house, I knew the name and wondered why they were spit out as as leaning Democratic. We got closer and saw a confederate flag flying. The candidate said, "Get us out of here."

My husband, the driver, did just that.

I am glad your son is okay. He is brave.

Tuesday, we will be voting, driving people, and sitting in a campaign headquarters for most of the night, on election watch.

I hope no one vandalizes our house while we are gone.

[LeftInTX]

24. I went door knocking in my precinct..newly registered voter

Big trucks in the driveway. (I'm leary)
Get to the door. There is a gun sign, "We don't call 911, we shoot"

Forget that. Marked them as Republicans. Didn't even knock on the door. I live in San Antonio. We have police.

[Hortensis]

25. Imagine your son took a good lesson about watching

for and heeding warning signs about potentially dangerous people from this? Reading that he actually went to the door and identified himself politically had me blinking here.

I used to be a real estate appraiser, which required me to knock on doors and speak with strangers all the time. There are plenty of unbalanced people like that one out there in every socioeconomic class. Many appear and act completely normal, while others radiate hostility to various degrees (look for and believe mean eyes). They are themselves loaded weapons.

[Maraya1969]

26. I would anonymously report this guy to the police just to keep an eye on him.

He sounds like he could be dangerous.

[Joe Nation]

35. Eh, he was on his own property.

There is nothing to report.

[Tarc]

38. Wrong

The terminology varies by state. "Intimidation, "menacing" "criminal threatening", etc...are crimes.

[2naSalit]

37. Faced that sort of thing during the decennial census

on a weekly basis in my area. Your son did the right thing, glad he didn't have anything else happen! Hope he doesn't have nightmares from that.

[Tarc]

39. That is a crime, and could have been reported

"Intimidation, "menacing" "criminal threatening", the terms vary by state, whether it is a misdemeanor or felony, etc...

But these people should not be allowed to continue acting as if their behavior is normal.

[Throck]

40. What state was this?

Sounds like the home owner was brandishing, even if on private property.

[Mrs. Overall]

45. Not surprising. I live in a small town not that far from Seattle and in my neighborhood

there are signs in some yards that read "If you set foot on my property I am prepared to shoot."

Many are accompanied with signs that claim "surveillance equipment" is active on the property.

The homes of the majority of these people are literally falling apart on small unkempt lots. We aren't talking big expensive properties that they are trying to protect. I don't mean to sound judgmental.