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Five Dem Activists Charged With Slashing Tires of GOP Workers

By Jeralyn, Section Crime in the News
Posted on Mon Jan 24, 2005 at 08:14:32 PM EST
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A few bad apples?

The [five]activists - all employees of the John Kerry campaign - are accused of flattening the tires on 25 vehicles rented by the state Republican Party to get out the vote and deliver poll watchers Nov. 2.

Yes, if they did it, it's wrong. But let's not forget the presumption of innocence. Watch out for a big legal battle in this case, though. Milwaukee uber-lawyer James Shellow represents Sowande Omokunde, one of those charged. Omokunde is the son of Rep. Gwen Moore, D-Wis., and Michael Pratt, the son of former Milwaukee acting mayor Marvin Pratt.

The Kerry campaign has acknowledged the five were paid employees of the campaign but maintains that they were not acting on its behalf.

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    • Five Dem Activists Charged With Slashing Tires of GOP Workers | 28 comments (28 topical)
    Re: Five Dem Activists Charged With Slashing Tires (none / 0) (#1)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Mon Jan 24, 2005 at 09:00:18 PM EST
    IDIOTS!! They've got them on video with the surveillance cameras.

    Re: Five Dem Activists Charged With Slashing Tires (none / 0) (#2)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Mon Jan 24, 2005 at 09:29:28 PM EST
    I have no idea why some kids would do something so dull-witted, but on the other hand why not? But don't think the kids did it just one more setup by the rats in the GOP.

    Re: Five Dem Activists Charged With Slashing Tires (none / 0) (#3)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Mon Jan 24, 2005 at 09:32:04 PM EST
    If they got 1,400 soldiers killed just to win a mandate, I'd get worked up. We have that on video too.

    Re: Five Dem Activists Charged With Slashing Tires (none / 0) (#4)
    by scarshapedstar on Mon Jan 24, 2005 at 09:41:51 PM EST
    Speaking of videos, I heard that a president was caught on tape reading a children's book while his people died.

    Re: Five Dem Activists Charged With Slashing Tires (none / 0) (#5)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Mon Jan 24, 2005 at 10:33:02 PM EST
    No 'buts' about it. Felonies are wrong, and those who do them are wrong. Forget the excuses.

    Re: Five Dem Activists Charged With Slashing Tires (none / 0) (#6)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Tue Jan 25, 2005 at 05:34:01 AM EST
    Glad to see that someone still gets the "innocent until proven guilty" benefit. I wonder if that would be the case were it five Bush campaign workers accused of slashing the tires of Kerry campaign get-out-the-vote vehicles. Chances are we'd be hearing about how this was yet another example of voter disenfranchisement instead. If these people are in fact found guilty (I haven't seen the alleged videotape, so I have no idea of whether they are guilty or not - so please spare me the diatribes), I hope they get the book thrown at them. From the sounds of it, this was not simple vandalism, it was yet another effort to affect the outcome of the election. This kidn of thing is wrong no matter who is perpetrating it.

    Re: Five Dem Activists Charged With Slashing Tires (none / 0) (#7)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Tue Jan 25, 2005 at 06:09:10 AM EST
    Boy this is some stupid activity. Yes, innocent until proven guilty, but the initial evidence cited suggests there was good reason to bring the charges. How old are these people? I didn't see that in the article. This sounds like the thought processes of 15 year olds. No offense intended to responsible 15 year olds.

    Re: Five Dem Activists Charged With Slashing Tires (none / 0) (#8)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Tue Jan 25, 2005 at 06:32:47 AM EST
    CA - "This sounds like the thought processes of 15 year olds." If this had been just random destruction I would agree, or if it had been against another school, teenage group, etc. But this was focused against a particular politicial group. That suggests association with someone older. That person or persons needs to be outed and charged.

    Re: Five Dem Activists Charged With Slashing Tires (none / 0) (#9)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Tue Jan 25, 2005 at 06:45:43 AM EST
    Well, Jim, I suspect they were older than 15 as paid staff, they just acted like 15 year olds. Again, my question: how old are these people? This is stupid criminal activity - vandalism - with apparent political motivation. I have no problem with the prosecution of these idiots. If guilty, it would be nice if the punishment fit the crime - like maybe they have to carpool repubs to voting places, provide road service to repubs for several election cycles. That would be unusual, if not cruel, punishment, so not likely to happen. Especially under sentencing guidelines that have reduced the freedom of judges to seek justice. You would probably like to implicate Bill Clinton, maybe check to see if any of these idiots have connections to either Monica Lewinsky or real estate deals in Arkansas, but I doubt the trail is leading there.

    Re: Five Dem Activists Charged With Slashing Tires (none / 0) (#10)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Tue Jan 25, 2005 at 08:12:34 AM EST
    Considering that the Wisconsin vote was actually closer to the Ohio vote this could have had much larger implications. Had Ohio gone to Kerry and Wisconsin to Bush then the results wouldn't have changed and the republicans would have had a much larger gripe than the Dems in Ohio. This is wrong, pure and simple. No excuses. The Dems should get ahead of this politically to show they care about voter problems in ALL cases, just not in those they disagree with. From the heart of Palm Beach County...

    Re: Five Dem Activists Charged With Slashing Tires (none / 0) (#11)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Tue Jan 25, 2005 at 08:13:40 AM EST
    According to Senator Kerry the tire slashings at a Bush campaign office was carried out by a few "bad apples" and does not represent John Kerry campaign policy. more

    Re: Five Dem Activists Charged With Slashing Tires (none / 0) (#12)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Tue Jan 25, 2005 at 08:21:14 AM EST
    Justpaul, Did you say something about innocent until proven guilty and the benefit of what? are you some kind of an American? OH,OH BAD PERSON. Stop political rape.

    Re: Five Dem Activists Charged With Slashing Tires (none / 0) (#13)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Tue Jan 25, 2005 at 08:52:29 AM EST
    Fred Dawes, I'm not even going to pretend I understand what you are talking about or what you are trying to imply. Please leave me out of your delusional/paranoid fantasies.

    Re: Five Dem Activists Charged With Slashing Tires (none / 0) (#14)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Tue Jan 25, 2005 at 09:03:13 AM EST
    If Dawes empties his head of delusional/paranoid fantasies, there'd be nothing left but the big waaaaaa for hunger and the sphincter reflex several hours later.

    Re: Five Dem Activists Charged With Slashing Tires (none / 0) (#15)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Tue Jan 25, 2005 at 09:08:08 AM EST
    CA - Since I have commented several times that I thought it was stupid to worry about Bill's BJ, I wonder why you think I would want to bring him, or Monica into the equation.

    Re: Five Dem Activists Charged With Slashing Tires (none / 0) (#16)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Tue Jan 25, 2005 at 09:29:58 AM EST
    Kudos to TL for even bringing this up! The usual practice seems to be to stay far away from anything bad the Dems do. Fred D.... But don't think the kids did it just one more setup by the rats in the GOP. Yeah...it's all a big conspiracy Fred!

    Re: Five Dem Activists Charged With Slashing Tires (none / 0) (#18)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Tue Jan 25, 2005 at 10:14:17 AM EST
    If those "kids" actually did what they're charged with doing, throw the book at them (Preferably a book about the importance of democracy and the voting process.) Preventing people from getting to the polls is not "helpful." Slashing tires is inexcusable. I'm thinking we should set up an annual Kevin Shelley award for people who hurt their/our cause. Nominations being accepted now!

    Re: Five Dem Activists Charged With Slashing Tires (none / 0) (#19)
    by pigwiggle on Tue Jan 25, 2005 at 10:27:44 AM EST
    The vans that were vandalized were meant to drive folks without transportation to the polls. These are bound to include the elderly with fixed or no income and the poor. The afore mention folks are, on average, minorities. However, what we do know for certain is that they were republicans. I wonder if the perps intended to disenfranchise these folks, or simply wreck some stuff.

    Re: Five Dem Activists Charged With Slashing Tires (none / 0) (#20)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Tue Jan 25, 2005 at 11:21:12 AM EST
    webmacher... I'm thinking we should set up an annual Kevin Shelley award for people who hurt their/our cause. Nominations being accepted now! I nominate Fred Dawes! Hey Fred.... paid to infiltrate and sew discord in progressive websites Yeah...like you all need my help in doing that...LOL

    Re: Five Dem Activists Charged With Slashing Tires (none / 0) (#21)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Tue Jan 25, 2005 at 12:30:37 PM EST
    They are of course innocent until proven guilty but then I also read that Sowande Omokunde is an African name that translates as He Who Resorts to Thuggery to Keep Family in Power. Ha ha ha

    Re: Five Dem Activists Charged With Slashing Tires (none / 0) (#22)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Tue Jan 25, 2005 at 12:39:45 PM EST
    I do not condone this vandalism. and agree that if they are guilty they should be punished. Now having said that, has the Repuglican worker been charged with striking that female protester on the RNC floor?

    Re: Five Dem Activists Charged With Slashing Tires (none / 0) (#23)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Tue Jan 25, 2005 at 01:02:28 PM EST
    I'll bet the ACLU, the media and the rest of the liberal machine has already offered its services to defend these people, and to keep there from ever being a serious inquiry as to what John Kerry knew and when he knew it, in regards to this clear and obvious attempt to disenfranchise voters.

    Re: Five Dem Activists Charged With Slashing Tires (none / 0) (#24)
    by desertswine on Tue Jan 25, 2005 at 01:56:32 PM EST
    This ought to be handled like the Plame Investigation. In other words, nothing.

    Re: Five Dem Activists Charged With Slashing Tires (none / 0) (#25)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Tue Jan 25, 2005 at 02:07:43 PM EST
    Dagma, like a lot of wingers you obviously pay no attention to what the ACLU is all about. THey defend individual rights. That's the banner the conservatives have carried for years--get the government off our backs, promote individual rights and responsibility, blah blah blah. The ACLU defends the individual rights of everyone from the communists to the Ku Klux Klan. Lumping the ACLU in with the "liberal machine" is just flaunting ignorance. Unless you were being ironic, in which case fuhgettaboudit.

    Re: Five Dem Activists Charged With Slashing Tires (none / 0) (#26)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Tue Jan 25, 2005 at 02:39:16 PM EST
    Desertswine, You mean there should be hundreds of news articles written, multiple investigations involving both Congress and a Special Prosecutor, a campaign to crucify the reporter who broke the story, and investigation of who the witnesses in the Kerry Campaign office are? Jospeh Wilson got his 15 minutes of infamy. Beyond that, we're still not even sure Plame was a covert agent recently enough to be covered under the law in question (if indeed she ever was). But it's hardly a matter of nothing having been done.

    Re: Five Dem Activists Charged With Slashing Tires (none / 0) (#28)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Tue Jan 25, 2005 at 04:02:09 PM EST
    Dagma - You are one funny guy. I'm LOL. Movalac - And the answer is, no. Because no one can prove that he struck anyone. Fred D - Hey guy, you are recoding new highs... et al - Let's assume they are convicted. What punishment would you assign? Me? Three months of picking up trash every weekend wearing one of those orange jumpsuits and driving duties for the Repubs come Nov in '06.

    Re: Five Dem Activists Charged With Slashing Tires (none / 0) (#29)
    by Richard Aubrey on Wed Jan 26, 2005 at 03:55:58 PM EST
    What about the murder-for- hire-vote-fraud-coverup? East St. Louis.

    Re: Five Dem Activists Charged With Slashing Tires (none / 0) (#30)
    by Richard Aubrey on Wed Jan 26, 2005 at 08:24:01 PM EST
    Oh, yeah. Major vote fraud investigation getting cranked up in Milwaukee. Local and fed officials. No murder-for-hire-coverup allegations in Milwaukee. Maybe later.

    Five Dem Activists Charged With Slashing Tires of GOP Workers | 28 comments (28 topical)