Stolen campaign signs for Obama and McCain in Tecumseh prompt purchase of more signs

By DEB WUETHRICH

It’s a presidential election year, and Tecumseh resident, Elizabeth Rymph, is just doing what people have been doing for years as part of the democratic process: expressing her opinion and preferences through placing campaign posters on her lawn on S. Union Street. What may be a little different about Elizabeth’s display is that there are both Barack Obama and John McCain signs. She currently is an undecided voter.

“So far, I have listened and I found that I kind of like both candidates,” she said. “So I thought I would display signs for both. My plan has been to continue to listen to what they say, to see who each one names as a vice-presidential running mate, and to hear them debate the issues — and then I’ll decide.” She said it’s the American way.

Someone, however, has been stealing the Obama signs off Elizabeth’s’s lawn — and it makes her angry. She said not only is someone trespassing in her yard to get to the signs, it is an infringement upon her Constitutional rights. It already has happened several times. Each time a sign is stolen, she replaces it with four more, at a personal expense of $8 per sign. She has filed a police report regarding the thefts.

What is even more disturbing is the abuse Elizabeth and some of her friends have taken regarding the display of the Obama signs. She has been battling a serious illness for several weeks and has been reliant on friends to help her with various chores. When Celeste Rodriguez was mowing Elizabeth’s lawn recently, for instance, she was subject to drive-by shouts of expletives and name calling regarding the Obama signs.

“They shout things like, “Get rid of the Obama signs,” and I was called a ‘commie pinko’ which I doubt they even know what that means,” said Celeste.

“I think it is absolutely unacceptable for anyone anywhere — especially in this city where I have lived for 56 years and had family living here since the 1800s — for people to practice such a blatant civil rights infringement,” Elizabeth said. She said her family has a long line of representation in this country’s wars, with her brother-in-law Don Rudd having been killed in Vietnam. “They fought and died so I could have a right to my Constitutional rights and these people are denying me those rights that my family fought for,” she said.
Elizabeth said the irony is that each time someone steals a sign, her way of fighting back is to replace that sign with even more. That actually means contributions to Obama’s campaign she said.

“I would do the same if it had been the McCain sign,” she said, stating it has gone beyond just having a sign or two disappear. She said the fact that someone would take it upon themselves to come into another person’s yard and steal their property, as well as lob abusive remarks over a political contest, just plain makes her mad.

“I just want this to stop. Everybody in this city has a right to his or her opinion on this election,” she said. “There can be political discourse, but this kind of thing has to stop.”