I wonder what happened with the police investigation surrounding vandalism of the large billboard put up by the Republican Party of Sarasota.

That is not mentioned in this column. Now that's scary!

Is this an example of a good upstanding republican citizen?

Wow! This is just despicable. These ignorant Teabaggers are out of control! They better behave come next Wednesday, when our President is re-elected!

Has anyone else noticed that Republicans are mean? That it is Republicans who give the finger to people with Obama bumper stickers? That it is Republicans who say life will be over if a Democrat wins? That Rush Limbaugh accuses Chris Cristie of having a homosexual love affair going with Obama for saying that the President is helping NJ citizens? That it is Republicans who are attempting to suppress the vote?

Ms Green- your "concerned" neighbor is the dim-wit. Put the signs up, and coat them with a home made pepper spray. He may grab them again, but he'll get a little surprise AND you may be able to spot him afterwards to confront or point out to the police.

@ Kathleen McDonald - Of course! They live on a diet of hatred and fear from Fixed News, Limbaugh, Beck etc. They have no critical thinking skills, and believe all the ridiculous lies spewed out on a daily basis by the lunatic fringe. I couldn't live like that! Bottom line, they are unevolved and pathetic.

Jill, if you have an ugly Republican that would be so brazen then you need a security camera installed to find out who this is. You need to know who this is that is doing these digusting things.There are plenty of Democrats like me that would love to help you out with this. The assumtion that Democrats don't have guns and won't protect themselves from burglars like the ones that stole your signs shredded, burned and placed them in your mailbox just isn't so. When it comes to the GOP hatred is what they know and Democracy is just an ideology that they don't follow. You need help in your neighborhood with this.

What an idiot. Both I and my "liberal socialist" husband own several guns and have CC permits in FL. I support ALL the rights granted under the constitution including those in the 2nd Amendment. There over 200 million gun in circulation in the U.S. The total population is 310 million. Does this brain dead moron believe that all 200 million guns are owned exclusively by Republicans? That guy's been drinking too much of the GOP/NRA kool-aid.

I am a Republican, and I am sorry that Ms. Green and her neighbors have had to deal with this sort of behavior. I hope those responsible are prosecuted. If the yard signs on my street are any indication, I am the only conservative in the neighborhood. It makes me happy to know that I live among other involved citizens. Hopefully someday I'll have a chance to talk calmly over coffee and change their minds with reason and compassion, not intimidation.

Great article Charles.Thanks for letting people know what's happening in our neighborhoods. I appreciate all the support and comments. Hope these kind of creepy insults are taken seriously by the police before words become violent actions.

Even when President Obama began his bid for Presidency, the Republicans were all sayin ghow he's going to impose a threat to gun owners and our right to bare arms. I've been to gun shows, have seen the posters warning everyone they had better stock up on ammo before it's gone, thus falsley inflating prices. Gee, who was behind these 'money making' schemes - "Republicans" and wonder how much they;ve profited from this scam. Think about it. I did.

Te ot benne single bill which came across President Obama's desk, that would infringe ones right to bare arms. Not a single amendment has been changed to the Constitution. There has not even been talk of President Obama even attempting to try and take away the right to bare arms. Sowho is behind all these rumors - Republicans. President Obama never has, nor will he in his second term, try and take away the right to bare arms. I rest my . Next!

Fellow friends of Sarasota Patch, please don't give Richard Swier any replies,r stsyou will be doing nothin gmore than to add fuel by providing him with attention he so desperately needs. He's not even on the same planet.

Apparently the only one stealing and vandalizing in Sapphire Shores is Bat Masterson. What an ignorant bully. Shame on them. They aren't worthy of citizenship, they have no respect for others.

Mind boggling.. I hope the perpetrator is exposed and publicly humiliated for such tactics.

This is an example of a bully who evidently doesn't have enough faith in his party and nominees to let them run on their own merits....he feels he must intimidate in order to influence.

Anyone who signs their real name in a letter to the editor of the Sarasota Herald Tribune is destined for trouble. There are a lot of wierdos out there and they look up your address in property tax records and send you nasty letters (bullying!! trying to intimidate) when they disagree with your point of view.

Thank you, Jill, for formally bringing these actions to the attention of everyone. I am so surprised and dismayed that in our beautiful neighborhood people would be violating their neighbors freedom of speech. But with every sign taken - more donations have been made and more signs have been placed in more secured places. But I must say as I drove back north (to vote in person) I was disturbed by the billboard signs (basically replacing the anti-abortion signs) with hatefully anti-Obama signs. These signs basically stopped once I left the state of Florida -- so what does this say about the people here in Florida.

Truth is Obama has done nothing for our country but put us into trillions more in debt with out actually stimulating our economy. Just look at the GDP. He took the office knowing what he had in front of him and told the people he had the answers through hope and change. There is little hope and virtually no change. Chances are if you are re-electing him it is only because you are a misinformed diehard democrat or you have a union behind you. We have had 8 years of failed presidency's and we certainly can't take another 4 years or the America we live in is going to look quite different under another flag. If you seriously think Obama has your real interest at heart, then you have been living under the yard sign that supports him. This president is irresponsible and wreckless. He has proven that he can't run a country, let alone a business. He has no record to stand on and wasted the taxpayers money for 2 years on Obamacare while the economy was the main concern. In the private sector he would have been fired a long time ago. The person who has taken your yard signs, shame on them as well as the postcard they sent you. As for gun control, Obama stated at the town hall mtg that he will make changes to the second amendment which will include higher taxes.. You see, Obama has said a lot of things he would do., he has done very little while occupying the White House. He does not deserve another 4 years nor does he deserve your vote! Anyone but Obama!

Kathleen,
Which, side the white or black. Ah yes Obama never talks about his mother!

These kind of people are cowards! We all could do those kind of things, but we don't because we are kind, decent people who respect others rights to their opinions. And we respect the people who have fought and died to protect these rights. Come get me you coward under the cloak of darkness as you always do!

http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/michael_smerconish/20121104_The_Pulse__The_smearing_of_a_president__From_start__unrelenting__unfair.html This election has always been a referendum on Barack Obama. For some, not on matters of substance. They can't have it both ways. It's hypocritical to distribute a vicious, false narrative about him while fancying yourself a patriot and a great American. Vilify a sitting president of the United States with fiction and innuendo, and you are neither.

So again, before it is blown way out of per portion. Are you sure you are dealing with "republicans", it could be a very angry person from her past, or even a democrat! You see the mistake was putting it in the mail, that is messing with the US postal service and that is a felony! LOL and relying on a reporter for the "National Inquirer" is a mistake
(Michael Smerconish). And you KATHLEEN have just commited your own kind of mistake, you did not put your quote of Michael Smerconish's in quotation marks, and that my dear is plagiarism! If you are going to use a quote, please do it correctly and you should have included the next few lines. Oh I'm sorry did you not want the "Bush" comment in there?

Brian...you.said I.do not have all the facts....name me.one.single bill that came.across the presidents desk which would have been an attempt to violate one's right to bare arms...or an attempt to amend the second amendment Republicans are saying he's trying to do....why the lies brian?

Hawkeye,
One more time................. it is not about what comes accross his desk, it is about the treaty with the united nations, look it up! Mr Obama is letting it pass with out any opposition.

Hawkeye, if you read my comment I included Bush with Obama as president's who have failed the American Taxpayer. Kathleen, you come across as very shallow. How is it that you would think that a comment "anyone but Obama" is racist? Since you seem to ASSUME that you are a Ms. Know it All....How's this...I gave him a chance in 2008 and he failed miserably and thus will not get my vote again. He should have been impeached a long time ago. As for Fox news., why does anyone assume that you have to be exposed to only Fox news to know the truth? Three cheers to those signs that say "fire Obama"!

Just so I am clear, the woman who is scared is in Costa Rica? "Green told Patch via a Skype call from Costa Rica, where she spends part of her year." This is a waste of time! She doesn't even live here full time.

Obama took the office knowing full well what he was up against and he told the american people that he would create millions of jobs through clean coal (how many mines have shut down due to new regulations?) make our country energy independent (he stopped land leasing and squashed the Keystone pipeline), said he would be transparent - Libya, stimulus $$, failed energy companies @ the expense of taxpayers ($$ given to his buddies, they filed bankruptcy). Obama had his chance, he is a disgrace, a liar and a Chicago thug along with the rest of his host of actors like Eric Holder who is a disgrace to the justice system. Kathleen, keep supporting a failed administration, keep blaming Bush, your ignorance will add more debt to the household which last I heard was $150k. Keep supporting a chicago thug who has no agenda, has never passed a budget (so he can keep spending money) and has not even met with his own jobs committee in 9 months. How about the job czar (CEO of GE) he appointed to oversee the creation of new jobs, then closed GE plants and shipped the jobs overseas? I don't Bush was Obama's advisor for all of his failed programs and the idiots Obama put into high positions. War crimes. Obama can't back peddle his lack of concern for our own officials and agents killed in Libya. Obama cares nothing about America, his record speaks for itself. Obama has turned the White House into Disney World. He has no accomplishments. The Seals killed Osama, not Obama.

The ignorance and vitriol here is astounding. It would behoove people to understand what "argumentum ad nauseam" is: the continuous repetition within media outlets until accepted as fact. People, just because you hear a dozen different political pundits, "news" anchors, talk show hosts, and editorialists say it does NOT mean it is accurate or true. Don't be sheeple.
http://www.undispatch.com/no-the-arms-trade-treaty-still-is-not-a-un-gun-grab

Dear Jill,
I'm so sorry that happened to you. You have my deepest sympathies. I have a lovely edible landscape, two funny cats, a wonderful husband, and two Obama signs in my yard. Please come have coffee with me some day and let's turn the energy of this into something pleasant. Kim Northrop info@kimnorthrop.com

FLORIDA!! Be EXTRA careful when voting! Just saw this on Debbie Wasserman's page: Christine Scott... Debbie - Just off the phone with a friend who voted in southern florida. He checked Obama for President and then went about the down ballot votes. Apparently, at his polling place, the last thing you can do if you want to, although many don't do it, is review your ballot for authorizing your vote. He saw that ROMNEY had been checked instead. So, he unchecked Romney and re-checked Obama...and went through the process. AGAIN, it came up Romney. At that point, he got a poll worker who had him fill out a provisional ballot. This is NOT HEARSAY. I JUST got off the phone with him.

It's great to see people involved in local civics. However large policy arguments may not be appropriate following an article on vandalism. It's nice to see however that our community values voter participation no matter which party they subscribe to. We will support the pride a citizen has in displaying their political choices even if they disagree with ours. Jill- Thanks for being involved in your government.

I'm an American Independent currently living in the nutland that is the State of California. It's so liberal out here they don't even bother to take polls. In the Castro District of San Francisco public nudity is legal (you just can't have an erection). Nice. Thank you Dianne Feinstein and Barabara Boxer.

You must admit, the characterization of Democrats in that postcard was humorous. I myself think of Democrats as a relatively wild breed (in contrast to the fascism of the Republicans). They are the worker class, and every civilization needs them. Ant colonies and bee hives would not be what they are without them.

I just watched the noon news on ABC and it looks like they decided to do their own version of the story that Patch broke.