Early voters in North Carolina, most of whom were black, were heckled and mocked by McCain supporters as they their cast their ballots Sunday. According to Washington Times reporter Christina Bellatoni primarily white McCain supporters shouted "terrorist" and complained that "Sundays are for church not voting"
Sen. Barack Obama has set up a massive organization across the country, and especially in North Carolina…An organizer at the rally rattled off the addresses of early vote sites nearby that would be open after the event.
Photographer Joe Eddins and I headed over to the closest one and found a steady line of voters hoping to cast ballots early. Most seemed to be Obama supporters and several had come from the rally. Nearly all the voters were black.
Also at the polling site was a group of loud and angry protesters who shouted and mocked the voters as they walked in. Nearly all were white.
And in Fayettville, NC someone slashed the tires of at least 30 vehicles parked outside the Crown Coliseum on Sunday during a rally for Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, authorities said.
Sheriff’s deputies are investigating. The tires were cut while people were inside the Crown Coliseum listening to speeches, said Maj. E. Wright of the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office. The slashings left women and children stranded as they waited for tow trucks but even though it cost her roughly $120 to get her Dodge Caravan towed and fixed, Obama supporter Lynne Steenstra said :
It hasn’t deterred us one bit. It has only encouraged us more. I just hope whoever did this pays the price.





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I don’t understand how it can be legal to have some kind of protest so close to a polling site.
they’re going out with a bang, not a whimper
bang or whimper, I just hope they are going out.
Veterans trying to be heard at a convention get maced, gased, beaten and arrested but confrontational and destructive amerikan taliban?
Isn’t this a violation of the Voting Rights Act?
Where the F*k is the Justice Department…oh I forgot it’s been completely politicized.
Obama has a lot of work ahead of him starting with asking for the resignations of even career DoJ personnel, every single one hired under Bush II.
Ah, the last gasps of the ruling fascist Republican regime. Americans are sick and tired of eight years of Republican lies, torture, treason, wars, greed, arrogance, cronyism and stupidity. We are not going to reward these worthless Republicans by voting for McLoon and McMooseKiller. Thank you very much, now go away, Republicans.
just so they GO
Bang, whimper, whine – hell’s bells and codfish! Let’s go for the trifecta. *G*
I’m confused. “Sundays are for church not voting” so why is it okay to protest voting on Sunday?
uh mah gawd. Is Fred Phelps running the RNC ?!?!? what the …. who in their right mind would hassle people voting ?!!?!? this has got Council of Conservative Citzens written all over it
Maybe they are carrying bibles and that makes it ok in their make-it-up-as-you-go form of Christianity.
Think the story is reporting a crime that may encompass several statutes. Hate crime, vote suppression, property crimes. We can hope it won’t get worse, but prepare yourself folks. This is a serious breach that law enforcement should be dealing with.
Hope we see a follow up on this?
This is the real face of un-americanism in America. Republicans intimidating voters on their way to vote.
Ding
Republics can’t win without cheating.
Wow. I guess that NC is going to motivate Americans from both sides to do their best and worst.
Amazing. And Sad.
Somebody planned this days in advance and organized this group for a Sunday afternoon provocation.
It shouldn’t be too hard to have locals examine the video and come up with names for faces.
Then, background checks might reveal fascinating material.
According to Section 245 of Title 18 of the United States Code, both voting and campaigning for office are Federally protected activities. To wit:
I don’t think there is a legal issue with protesting at voting sites, but there certainly is an issue if intimidation is the goal. The Feds need to take a very careful look at what is going on in North Carolina.
It seems to me that this would cover a lot of the Rethug tactics.
Maybe this is the moment we push these roaches back under the rock from whence they crawled.
That’s disturbing and appalling. What is election day going to be like?
It must have really hurt somebody at the Moonie Times, having to report this.
OK, this is a video of John McCain on SNL that Hardball commentators mention at the time he would not want to be aired a week for an election. So enjoy.
Creepy Husband.
Thugs use torches and pitchforks. I’m going with ridicule.
“un american” was my first thought as well.
most americans would be appalled by this. I pray it gets wider coverage and Chairman Dean and the DNC publicly demand McRNC to end it now
There’s no low to which Rs won’t sink.
Talk about sore losers!
How about a big company, say Big O Tires, or Firestone, offer to fix those slashed tires for free.
Um, I just watched both videos and they didn’t seem to match up with the written account. Am I missing something?
I know that campaign literature is not allowed within a certain distance of the polls, so I think they are probably behind the allowable distance and not blocking anyone’s access.
I’m sorry to hear about the slashed tires. Beyond that, I don’t think these videos are bad, just people for both sides I notice, being vocal. I couldn’t understand what they were yelling, but i think the videos of the racists going to a McCain rally were much worse. JMHO.
The brownshirts have arrived So can we officially say we are a facist nation now?
everybody knows that Sundays are for tire slashing, church, fellowship, and heckling the black folks….
Thanks Lisa.
digg
DUGG!
30 cars had slashed tired?!?
And not a cop on the beat?????
That strikes me as odd.
s
Here is more of voter suppression. This one has death threats.
Jim, since these thugs have broken a federal law, shouldn’t the investigation be conducted by FBI and/or US Marshals?
If this is not made an example of, there will be more of it and probably more destructive. Where were the police? Oh, yeah, they only arrest people like Amy Goodman.
These thugs may not even be locals. Remember in 2000 when Bush brought in a bunch of ex-cons to that vote-counting place in Florida? Then they blamed on Dems.
Here’s the North Carolina law about this!
GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA SESSION 2003 / SESSION LAW 2003-365/HOUSE BILL 819
AN ACT TO STRENGTHEN THE REQUIREMENT THAT THE COUNTY BOARDS OF ELECTIONS MUST PROVIDE BEYOND THE BUFFER ZONE AROUND THE VOTING PLACE A SPACE WHERE CAMPAIGNING AND OTHER ELECTION-RELATED ACTIVITY CAN BE CONDUCTED.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: SECTION 1. G.S. 163-166.4 reads as rewritten:
“§ 163-166.4. Limitation on activity in the voting place and in a buffer zone around it.
(a) Buffer Zone and Adjacent Area for Election-Related Activity. – No person or group of persons shall hinder access, harass others, distribute campaign literature, place political advertising, solicit votes, or otherwise engage in election-related activity in the voting place or in a buffer zone which shall be prescribed by the county board of elections around the voting place. In determining the dimensions of that buffer zone for each voting place, the county board of elections shall, where practical, set the limit at 50 feet from the door of entrance to the voting place, measured when that door is closed, but in no event shall it set the limit at more than 50 feet or at less than 25 feet.
That Except as provided in subsection (b), the county board of elections shall also, where practical, also provide an area adjacent to the buffer zone for each voting place in which persons or groups of persons may distribute campaign literature, place political advertising, solicit votes, or otherwise engage in election-related activity.
(b) Special Agreements About Election-Related Activity. – The Executive Director of the State Board of Elections may grant special permission for a county board of elections to enter into an agreement with the owners or managers of a nonpublic building to use the building as a voting place on the condition that election-related
activity as described in subsection (a) of this section not be permitted on their property adjacent to the buffer zone, if the Executive Director finds all of the following:
(1) That no other suitable voting place can be secured for the precinct.
(2) That the county board will require the chief judge of the precinct to monitor the grounds around the voting place to ensure that the restriction on election-related activity shall apply to all candidates and parties equally.
(3) That the pattern of voting places subject to agreements under this subsection does not disproportionately favor any party, racial or ethnic group, or candidate.
An agreement under this subsection shall be valid for as long as the nonpublic building is used as a voting place.
(c) Notice About Buffer Zone. – No later than 30 days before each election, the county board of elections shall make available to the public the following information concerning each voting place:
(1) The door from which the buffer zone is measured.
(2) The distance the buffer zone extends from that door.
(3) Any available information concerning where political activity, including sign placement, that is permitted beyond the buffer zone.”
Page 2 Session Law 2003-365 House Bill 819
SECTION 2. This act becomes effective January 1, 2004.
In the General Assembly read three times and ratified this the 19th day of July, 2003.
s/ Beverly E. Perdue President of the Senate
s/ James B. Black Speaker of the House of Representatives
s/ Michael F. Easley Governor
Approved 10:38 a.m. this 1st day of August, 2003
You can bet that the back of the line to vote will be more than 50 feet from the door of the polling place on election day. This law will offer no protection.
LOL, I wouldnt put these antics past someone who actually supports that idiot McBush. It takes just that kind of person to support a proven LIAR!.
Jiff