Idiots will be Idiots: Maine GOP Forced to Apologize After Convention-Goers Vandalize Classroom

[marmar]

via AlterNet:



Posted by Amanda Terkel at 7:00 am
May 15, 2010

Maine GOP Forced to Apologize After Convention-Goers Vandalize an Eighth-Grade Classroom

Cross-posted from Think Progress.

Although Maine is known for its two moderate Republican senators — Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins — last week’s state GOP convention showed the growing influence of far-right activists. An “overwhelming majority of delegates” voted to “scrap the the proposed party platform and replace it with a document created by a group of Tea Party activists.” Maine Politics called it “a mix of right-wing fringe policies, libertarian buzzwords and outright conspiracy theories.”

The Republican convention was at the Portland Expo, but participants went to the nearby King Middle School to hold their caucuses. While there, they went through eighth-grade teacher Paul Clifford’s items, opened sealed boxes, stole a prized poster, and vandalized the room with Republican slogans. Some details on what they did:

– For seven years, Clifford has had “a collage-type poster depicting the history of the U.S. labor movement” on his classroom door. He uses it “to teach his students how to incorporate collages into their annual project on Norman Rockwell’s historic ‘Four Freedoms’ illustrations.” When Clifford returned to his classroom on Monday, after the GOP caucuses, the poster was gone; in its place was a sticker reading, “Working People Vote Republican.”

– Republicans opened a “closed cardboard box they found near Clifford’s desk” and later objected to the fact that it contained copies of the U.S. Constitution donated to the school by the American Civil Liberties Union.

– After the caucuses, “rank-and-file Republicans who were upset by what they said they had seen in Clifford’s classroom” began calling the school, objecting to student art they had seen and a sticker on a filing cabinet reading “People for the American Way — Fight the Right.”

Although some of these callers said they supported the fact that Clifford’s poster had been stolen, the Maine Republican Party’s leadership has taken a more conciliatory approach, apologizing to the school and promising to return any stolen materials it finds. “King Middle School was kind enough to allow the (party) to use their facilities and we are deeply concerned about the lack of respect shown to the faculty,” said Maine GOP Executive Director Christie-Lee McNally. Local Knox County GOP Chairman William Chapman agreed that the vandalism was inappropriate, but added that it was disturbing that there was “nothing” in Clifford’s room “that appeared to give a more balanced view.” ..........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://blogs.alternet.org/speakeasy/2010/05/15/maine-gop-forced-to-apologize-after-convention-goers-vandalize-an-eighth-grade-classroom/

[Richard Steele]

1. Has any "modern nation" ever had such a huge percentage of COMPLETE & UTTER SHITHEADS?

Oh wait- Germany in the 1920's did.

Never mind.

[Contrary1]

2. Surely these hooligans must have been Liberal infiltrators...

Teabaggers are never destructive, so saith The Quitter.

[VOX]

3. “Working People Vote Republican.” WHAT THE EFFING F?????

Surely things are WAY down the rabbit-hole now. This is, quite frankly, INSANE! :nuke:

[Contrary1]

4. Isn't that hilarious?

Every single person I know of who is getting welfare is Republican.

Clueless.

[tcaudilllg]

5. William Chapman = extremist

[Kablooie]

6. They not only have shit for brains, they've got shit for souls too.

[proud2BlibKansan]

7. I've read this story 3 or 4 times and it is still just infuriating

I've had to share my classroom with Girl Scouts who left koolaid spills on the desks. That was a pain. But this crap the tea baggers did was vandalism and theft. I certainly hope there are some consequences including never allowing the GOP in this county to meet again in a public school.

[aquart]

8. Wrote him a brief note.

Return the stolen poster, thief.

Were you raised by the wolves that Palin shot? Is this what YOU were taught in school? TO STEAL AND VANDALIZE?

You know what the balance to labor history is? Sweatshops and robber barons. My grandmother was the first in her sweatshop to walk out on strike. She was 17 and had been in the sweatshops two years. IT WAS HER HISTORY YOU STOLE. It was the history of everyone with courage you will never have, being a cowardly thief and supporter of thieves.

[Atticus]

9. And some here have criticized me for confronting these assholes instead of "engaging

in rational conversation".

These people see civility as "blood in the water" and simply scream louder and make more outrageous threats. Be prepared to get nose to nose with them or just stay home.

[DailyGrind51]

10. When are people going to wake up and realize that the tea-baggers are

the "brownshirts" of the 21st century?