[AT] DEFINITELY OFF TYOPIC: Yard signs plus antique tractor content!

[Grant Brians]

This year I ran for the Board of Supervisors of our county (unsuccessfully
in the interest of disclosure). Also there was a hotly contested local
initiative. The people who want the county to develop like Los Angeles / San
Jose spent large sums of money and spread lots of false stories about those
for the initiative as well as the candidates who favored the initiative. The
levels of anger and invective were (and still are) unbelievable and that had
to contribute to the level of sign stealing and damage. In our community,
there seems to be a large amount of sign stealing and damage to the local
candidates and less for the national and state. I was a target of sign
damage on my all home made signs as well.         Having said that, the
level of financial and otherwise participation in the local non-partisan
races by the County Republican Central Committee has been amazing. They
publicly have stated that certain candidates are theirs. Odd. This bothers
many rank and file Republicans.... And to echo others, the national signs
stolen or defaced here are Kerry signs. Bush signs are untouched.
    Putting this a little on the antique tractor front - I had to dig the
post holes for my signd by hand because it would have been too much of a
hassle to drive the Oliver 77 with our posthole digger on the now heavily
traveled state highways to put up the signs. Interestingly, 15 years ago it
would have been very easy before the doubling of the city's population. And
30 years ago I regularly drove that same tractor with my iron-wheeled wagon
up and down the roads to haul grain, hay, irrigation pipe, etc.
        Grant Brians
        Hollister CA