I side with the sign owner.

If that makes me a bad person, too bad.

Can we get that guy's video of the Snot-nose Flambe?

Gosh, what's with Republicans and torture? Must be the people going to see the Saw movies.

Somehow the article doesn't mention why the boy isn't able to figure how to put together a sign (the given excuse for trying to take the sign) from the Obama-Biden sign that was already in his hand.

But...but...since Obama is black, doesn't that make this a federal hate crime? Or does pointing that out constitute a hate crime, too? Damn. Now somebody's gonna call me a racist. And now I've gone and supported a Republican torturer, too. What's gotten into me? I just can't seem to get out of my own way.

Welcome to Obamaland.

The First Amendment reaffirms the right of Americans to think what they want and say what they think. It appears liberals think that conservatives should be denied this right and as well as the right to protect their private property. I suppose they are already of the mindset that there is no more private property, that it belongs to the COMMUNITY.

Gosh, what's with Republicans and torture?

So now, having to look at somebody else's lawn sign is "torture."

If a nine year old tries to do something illegal, such as stealing the sign, and gets shocked, he isn't going to go home and tell his parents. He's going to keep his mouth shut because he knows he's going to get in trouble.

Call me cynical, but I think the answer is the child was going to pull up the sign and replace it with the Obama sign. He probably got the idea from his parents (who probably stole the original signs).

And the excuse of not knowing the property belonged to the Turschak's? Didn't they ever wonder why he mowed it, or the people he hired to mow his yard (if he didn't do it himself) also mowed this area.

The kid was either told by one of the parents to take the sign or he was inspired to take it. The mother did say, "They were troubled, she said, that someone had apparently decided to claim the corner on behalf of the Republican Party."

Nine-year-old kids don't spontaneously become politically minded to the point of deciding who should have what signs out. They are taught such things.

What's stranger than all this is that the homeowner spoke in the comment section and said the video was clipped and did not show the father going to the corner, pulling the sign up and ripping it to pieces.

I live in Raleigh and had my McCain-Palin sign taken twice (once on the same day the NC Dems. put a flyer in my mail--coincidence???).

The third sign I put up was coated in mace; so far, it's still there.

This year has shown the worst in the Democrats in my book. Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse. They really are just for expedience, the ends justify the means.

Same thing in my wife's Nicaragua, except there they are called "Sandinistas."

Heard about this on the radio this morning. Here is the link to News and Observer that has the video.

http://videos.newsobserver.com/?a=player&id=2335356

Hope that works.

Saw Lories link at the top right after I submitted the same link. Duhhh.
Sorry Lorie.

Under each was a yellow sign warning that they were electrified.

A 9 year-old who can't read ? Well, that's what you get when government runs the schools.

Much as I would like to sympathize with the owner, and think the little punk deserved what he got, this is wrong. I'm no lawyer, but I think that setting these sorts of booby traps is going to result in a royal boatload of liability, if not actual criminal, charges.

And the law cares not one whit how non-lethal he thinks the current is.

Having had my McCain/Palin yard sign stolen, I side with the owner. Not only was the little punk committing theft, but was also trespassing in my view. I have seen many McCain/Palin signs suddenly disappear, so I have no sympathy for the kid or his parents.

Much as I would like to sympathize with the owner, and think the little punk deserved what he got, this is wrong.

I disagree. This is as wrong as having a car alarm in my opinion. That the house-owner put warning signs on the signs themselves ... at that point the onus is on the thief.

OregonMuse, if the homeowner had the slightest idea that a 9 year old child was the culprit I don't think he would have done it. He even removed the wiring afterward.

But one of the comments there, clearly against the homeowner, said this:

"you partisan imbesile"

haha.

This father should not only be embarassed about what his kid did, but should have marched with the little brat to the homeowner's house and had the miscreant apologize to the homeowner for trying to steal his signs.

But no, instead this asshat starts in on a 13 year old girl demanding explanations. What a jerk. In the comments section on the news aritcle, the person claiming to be the homeowner states after the confrontation the man went and ripped one the of the signs to shreds. Father of the year right there. Great lesson to teach the kid.

One of the strangest mind sets of Liberals is that they think they will win. And by winning, will transform American so everyone thinks like they do. I am not kidding or making this up.

Just read all their stuff. If they win this election, it is the Liberal belief that conservatives will roll over and admit that conservative government is a failure. Again, I am not kidding or making this up.

And obviously, in the Liberal mind set, any means is a right and proper means if their agenda wins the day. The means is justified by the end. How many people did Stalin kill using that mentality? How many did Hitler?

Larry,

Are you just spouting off in general, or are you really invoking Godwin's law and equating petty vandalism with the Holocaust?

OregonMuse, the point of a booby trap is that you don't see it 'til it gets you. One generally doesn't put up signs to announce them.

The parents put this kid up to performing an illegal act and should be charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

Rance -

The mindset is the same. THEY are the ONLY ones deciding what actions THEY take are right and proper - the only difference is the scale. Steal the signs today, burn the signs tomorrow, burn down the house of the political enemy the next day, jail him the day after - then kill him to eradicate his ideas the next. All justifiable, because they're right to do so to protect THEIR ideology.

OregonMuse - Much as I would like to sympathize with the owner, and think the little punk deserved what he got, this is wrong. I'm no lawyer, but I think that setting these sorts of booby traps is going to result in a royal boatload of liability, if not actual criminal, charges.

Yeah, you're probably right. But I'd think the liability charges would be offset by the burglary and trespassing charges.

OregonMuse, the point of a booby trap is that you don't see it 'til it gets you.

Which is why the law frowns on them and those who set them. And that's just the way it is. Some little a-hole could be vandalizing your property week after week and if you set a booby trap and catch him in it, and injure him, the law will come down on YOU. You, not the a-hole.

Yeah, it sucks, but as I said, that's the way it is.

Does it not seem strange that the father of the boy trying to steal a sign is not concerned that his son is out stealing? This says volumes about democrats and how they teach their children. No wonder democrats are so mean.

off topic, but why does Wizbang Blue immediately ban you from commenting if you don't agree with them?

Tuesday afternoon the camera saw this: A nine-year-old-year-old neighbor trotted up with an Obama-Biden sign in his hand, grabbed a handful of volts as he touched the McCain-Palin sign, then quickly ran away.

What a dumbass coward. Sends a nine year old to do his dirty work, then complains about what happened to his child. Yeah, jp2 and the rest of them want McCain to get elected, and desperately want the Republican party back in full force to read 'em their bedtime story.

off topic, but why does Wizbang Blue immediately ban you from commenting if you don't agree with them?

It's the "new" socialist democracy, freedom of speech and all that.

The owner had every right to protect his own property. The kid had NO business stealing signs or for that matter, anything. The parents need to punish their child and to teach him that stealing is wrong and one gets punished for doing wrong things.

I would like to see the law enforcement officers enforce the law and teach the kid that it is wrong to steal and will be punished for it. Along with that, the parents are responsible for their kid's actions and they to need to be taught a lesson.

OregonMuse: actually the law is (and I am a lawyer, for good or ill) is that you can protect your property by nonlethal means. The general rule is that it can't be disproportionate to the offense.

In this case, there is no disproportionate or lethal means; the little schmuck got zap like my dog used to get zapped when he did something wrong--same device.

SO, is it animal cruelty then? No. Nor is it an offense against a trespasser and thief.

Now, if the landowner had mined his property, or maintained an automatic gun aimed at the sign and tripped off, then you have a violation by the landowner.

"off topic, but why does Wizbang Blue immediately ban you from commenting if you don't agree with them?"

They're trying to prepare us for when Obama takes power. Dissent is patriotic NOW, but will be a hate crime THEN.

Either that, or Lee's off his meds for megalomania again.

Seriously, the guy will NOT allow diverging opinions over on the Blue. He didn't use to be quite so bad - but since Obama's got the nod (even though he was a rabid Hillary supporter and saw no good in Obama) he's done drunk the Kool-Aid, got a Kool-Aid IV, and showers in it five times a day.

If Obama doesn't win, he's going to explode.

The signs were on the property of the guy who set up the trap? And they were his property? Ok... From my understanding, he had every right to defend his property. That the father of that 9-year old came screaming only proves that he failed as a father.

Whatever happened to teaching kids that theft is wrong?

I shall conclude with saying: parents today SUCK

OregonMuse, my point was that his contraption clearly didn't meet the discription of a booby trap, because it was clearly labeled. If he had electrified it without the labeling it may have qualified. Put another way, would it be a booby trap if someone tried to steal his invisible dog fence?

I've seen this kind of thing before. The FATHER tried to take the sign, got shocked, and SENT HIS KID to get shocked. The thoughtless father is playing the sympathy card.

Mitchell, thank you for explaining the relevant law.

Either that, or Lee's off his meds for megalomania again.

I think it's hilarious that Lee is a dread tyrant over his own little blue fiefdom where he can ban anyone at will, yet the only reason he has his fiefdom is that it was given to him by the proprietor of a conservative blog.

I wonder if he ever notices the irony?

Watch the video: the kid has an Obama sign in his hand when he walks up to the sign. A couple of thoughts on that:

1) Obviously this kid didn't go out and get himself an Obama sign. It was obviously given to him by his father who "mysterioiusly" showed up immediately afterward to complain about the "shocking" incident.

2) The Obama sign in his hand puts the lie to the claim that the kid was trying to find out how the sign worked. So the father is a liar twice over.

Child Services should be called and the kid independently interviewed by them without his parents present to obtain the truth about how often his father has put him up to stealing the signs.

Apparently Lee and the 9 year old have a lot in common.

Lee can't make it unless something is given to him, like Wiz Blue? Sounds like a good Obamoron.

OMG, I would have loved to see the little brats face! Get the F off my lawn you little junior sociatal parasite!

Gosh, what's with Republicans and torture? Must be the people going to see the Saw movies.

Yeah...that must be it. Great analysis, you should go work for Rassmussen.

I see the dhimmirats are teaching their nine year olds respect for other people's property and tolerance. Whats wrong with these people? So they believe that theft and trespass are values that should be instilled in children?

"Child Services should be called and the kid independently interviewed by them without his parents present to obtain the truth about how often his father has put him up to stealing the signs."

I totally disagree. This is the kind of police state we fight against. The parents have a right to teach their kid any philosophy they want; whether I agree with it or not. This kid is a victim more than anything else. But not a victim of something that can be lawfully prosecuted.

The best we can do is air these kinds of shenanigans and make people aware.

I wish ALL signs were made to stun thiefs! Stealing a sign is no different than stealing ANYTHING ELSE!
The family of this boy should be ashamed that they did not raise him to not go onto other peoples property, let alone steal!
The kid is most likely destined to a life of crime, or worse, he might become a liberal college professor!
The parents should be thanking the neighbor for teaching the kid the lesson, now, instead of at 16 when he might get shot breaking into a house to steal, again.

The parents of that kid should be prosecuted for conspiring to steal property trespass and larceny. I am sure that the parents put the kids up to it reasoning that the Courts won't arrest a nine year old, but if the parents did it they could be prosecuted for the above crimes. I am sure you won't hear this on the mainstream news programs because it wasn't Obama signs being taken or Obama effigies at issue.

The child should have been arrested for theft and the parents should have been charged with felony child abuse for putting his kid up to committing a crime.

People get shot all the time breaking into other's house trying to steal here in FL.