Escalating vandalism at Florida Museum of Natural History

[n2doc]

There’s something unsavory, and I dare say cowardly going on behind the Florida Museum of Natural History. The facility located at the University of Florida, Gainesville is a gorgeous one with an entrancing butterfly rainforest exhibit and a Hall of Florida Fossils that a person can easily spend an entire day in alone. I visited the museum with my wife and kids a while ago and we all felt that it was worth the day trip drive. But we didn’t know that a unique predator of sorts had been prowling nearby.

The researchers who work at the museum and the adjoining Bartram-Carr Hall are proud of their work and aren’t shy about letting the world know what they do. They display Darwin Fish emblems on their cars and some even have bumper stickers along the lines of “Smile, you are an ape!” and “Evolution is a fact.” But it’s obvious that someone isn’t amused. Vandals have struck.

It started small. Darwin Fish emblems would be ripped off cars a few times a year. Undeterred, the victims would simply replace them. Then bumper stickers were scraped off. Then notes containing prayers were left on cars. And now the vandal has apparently taken the next step: driving nails into tires. One researcher said she discovered a long nail had been deliberately forced into the side rim of her new tire, destroying it. Another researcher had both front tires ruined by long nails. These incidents all happened in a parking lot behind Bartram-Carr Hall.

So far, there appear to be no leads on who the vandal is, or even how many vandals there may be. Please spread the word about this and if you happen to be in the area be vigilant. Ripping an emblem off a car and leaving notes full of prayers is annoying and wrong, but destroying tires is on another level. And who knows if the vandalism will escalate even further?

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http://www.flascience.org/wp/?p=1362

[RandomKoolzip]

1. Oh so very Christian. Why do these dipshits always see themselves as the underdogs?

I swear, some American Xians think they're fighting the fucking Battle of Algiers. They own everything and control the cultural dialogue and that STILL isn't enough for them.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

2. reminds me of a bumper sticker I saw in court in IL.

It was a beater truck, with rust and dents added for flavor. The bumper sticker read, "I'm from South Carolina, and YES, we ARE that stupid."

Somehow Florida would fit as well.

[grilled onions]

3. Their Intolerance Is Intollerable

I would love to see a cartoon of a God like figure with a group of test tubes in front of him(or maybe her) and each one would have a day/number labeled on it. It would certainly confuse those Darwin deniers to think that science can ever have any place in our world. Meanwhile I would surely get some video cameras out there where the vandalism is going on.

[NightWatcher]

4. since the NFL lockout Tim Tebow has had a lot of free time down there

whomever tried to put science that close to Gatorland (the swamp) was pretty crazy to begin with

[sinkingfeeling]

5. Can you image the coverage if this were happening in the parking lot of the Creation Museum?

[damntexdem]

6. What ever happened to monitoring cameras for parking lots?

[csziggy]

11. That was my first thought - put cameras up

High resolution trap cameras for wildlife only cost a hundred or so. The staff could chip in together for less than the tires that have been destroyed.

Also, why aren't the campus cops checking the parking lot more often?

[eppur_se_muova]

12. Well, it's a musuem, so you can bet their budget sucks.

Probably dependent on charity for every minor purchase.

Real Americans don't waste money on education and culture.

[gratuitous]

7. Evolve, folks

We have these things called cameras that can be installed to keep an eye on things like parking lots. They can even record events and you can see people actually perpetrating their crimes. They're relatively inexpensive. Install a few dozen and catch the criminal in the act.

[ellenfl]

8. why i am reluctant to have bumper stickers. sad to think there are

neanderthals stalking my alma mater. maybe they came from the museum? :silly:

ellen fl

[distantearlywarning]

9. Whose tires would Jesus put a nail into?

:shrug:

[LeftinOH]

10. They're just getting back at the evolutionists who vandlize cars in fundy church parking lots

NOT NOT NOT NOT. :rofl:

[Jkid]

13. Apparently these Christians who vandalize are willing to go to jail for their view

[KittyWampus]

14. Install a camera, problem solved. Damages can be collected.