Say Anything Blog

AP - Three-year-old Sophia Parlock cries while seated on the shoulders of her father, Phil Parlock, after having their Bush-Cheney sign torn up by Kerry-Edwards supporters on Thursday, Sept. 16, 2004, at the Tri-State Airport in Huntington, W.Va. Democratic vice presidential candidate John Edwards made a brief stop at the airport as he concluded his two-day bus tour to locations in West Virginia and Ohio.

This sort of thing really ticks me off. While me may disagree on who is fit to lead this country for the next four years we have got to start acting more civil toward each other. Regardless of our political beliefs, we all still live in the same country. We live in each other's communities. Our children go to the same schools.

Is this how we want our children to treat one another? Because that's certainly the message the people described above are sending.

Update:

The president of The International Union of Painters and Allied Trades, who's members were responsible for the criminal behavior described above, has released a statement apologizing for the incident (via LGF).

The International Union of Painters and Allied Trades believes in the fundamental right for civil discourse, freedom of speech and activism to support our candidates and issues.

What happened in Huntington, West Virginia yesterday is an affront to everything we, as a union, pride ourselves to represent. We extend our apologies to the Parlock family, especially Sophia, for the distress one of our overzealous members caused them.

I have personally taken steps to address this issue internally, and will take immediate disciplinary action to the full extent allowed under U.S. Department of Labor regulations and the constitution of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades.

It is my hope that this incident reminds all of our members that every last citizen in this country has the right to express his or herself freely. Not one single one of us has the right to tell them otherwise.

General President James A. Williams
The International Union of Painters and Allied Trades

I'm sure this provides little comfort to Sophia and her family, but its nice to know that something is being done about this kind of behavior.