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Published - Thursday, August 07, 2008

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Vandals hit Democratic office in Viroqua again


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VIROQUA, Wis. — The Democratic Party headquarters for Vernon and Crawford counties in downtown Viroqua was vandalized with a racial slur spray-painted over a sign promoting Democratic Presidential candidate Barack Obama.

It is the second time in recent weeks that the office’s front windows were defaced with spray paint. On July 15, at midday, vandals spray-painted the words “McCain: He’s a vet” on the front windows in addition to other messages.
The most recent incident, which was reported early today, included a racial slur about the Illinois senator’s run for the White House. The presumptive Democratic nominee is black.

The headquarters is in the former Dahl Pharmacy Building along Main Street. Karen Dahl, a member of the National Democratic Party’s Veteran and Military Council and owner of the building, said it was disappointing to see the headquarters vandalized a second time. She compared the vandalism to a hate crime.

Four hours after the vandalism was discovered, the spray-painted messages remained on the window. Dahl said local Democratic Party officials were torn between giving the matter any attention or leaving the vandalism up for a while so people can see how low the vandals had stooped.

“It really puts Viroqua in a bad light,” Dahl said.

Officials with the presidential campaigns of Obama and Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, could not be immediately reached for comment.

For more about this story, see Friday’s Tribune or return to www.lacrossetribune.com.
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groucho wrote on Aug 7, 2008 9:22 PM:

" garfield1946 - That's the point of voting against McCain, so we CAN "kiss the America we know goodbye." You know, the one controlled by the oil companies, that goes to war based on lies, that has "W" as its leader, that is despised by the rest of the world? Don't you see, we need a change! And to Michael Welch, thanks for the chuckles...funny stuff!! "

wait..what? wrote on Aug 7, 2008 8:33 PM:

" To Harley: How do you know the paint was on the inside?? Did I miss that part of the article? "

garfield1946 wrote on Aug 7, 2008 8:32 PM:

" I don't like either one of them either...but who in their right mind would vote in a man whom would not salute the United States flag!!!

If Obama gets voted in you can kiss America as we know it goodbye........we'll all be taxed right out of our homes, Bush has us almost there now!! Good old Demo's!!!!! "

harley wrote on Aug 7, 2008 8:07 PM:

" Hmmm...why was the paint on the INSIDE of the windows? "

HonestAbe wrote on Aug 7, 2008 8:00 PM:

" garfield1946, according to your numbers, one is washed up, and one has much more to give

LOL "

HonestAbe wrote on Aug 7, 2008 7:59 PM:

" Well, regardless of which party did this, all you have to do is turn on TV and see McSames b.s. tactics. I don't like either of them, but McSame is already showing his true colors, in that he's a cheap, punch 'em in the kidney type. Just another that is going to lie to the people for his own gain. Who cares if he's a vet or not, he's cheap and is not going to look out for the people.

I'm not voting this year. Obama has brought skin color into the race, which in the beginning, he was all based only on the issues, at that point I liked him.

I love america, but fear my govt. "

garfield1946 wrote on Aug 7, 2008 7:33 PM:

" THIS PUTS THINGS INTO PROSPECTIVE...SHORT & SWEET!!!!!!!

CONGRESS MILITARY

JOHN MCCAIN 26 YEARS 22 YEARS

BARRACK OBAMA 143 DAYS 0

SUMMARY CONCLUDED. "

wait..what? wrote on Aug 7, 2008 4:38 PM:

" It was probably the treehuggers again, they get bored easily and feel the need to beautify everything "

Big E wrote on Aug 7, 2008 3:37 PM:

" Why was the racial slur not removed right away? Are they waiting for Jackson and Sharpton to show up? "

enuffalready wrote on Aug 7, 2008 3:26 PM:

" This in NOT about Republicans, or Democrats, its about idiots who make ALL of us look bad. "

enuffalready wrote on Aug 7, 2008 3:14 PM:

" To: Rickey

S.D.D.D. You just have to come up with some new drivel to heap upon us. "

V.O.R. wrote on Aug 7, 2008 2:56 PM:

" Right on JD5400. "

QueenB wrote on Aug 7, 2008 2:42 PM:

" Paris for Prez! "

JD5400 wrote on Aug 7, 2008 2:40 PM:

" Michael W, what is so laughable about saying Obama is a Socialist? Government run medicine, which he is for, is a socialist idea. "WIndfall profit" tax on private industry is socialist idea. Higher taxes on families making over $250,000 per year to attempt to redistribute wealth and/or eliminate social classes is a socialist idea. How about his record on gun control? What about his views and stances on any issue aren't socialist? "

Michael Welch wrote on Aug 7, 2008 2:17 PM:

" I'm hardly 'special'; I just obey the 'law of the blog.' I can see however that the atmospherics around the anti-Obama view are based on totally unfounded accusations that he is some sort of 'crypto-Muslim' who would aid 'al Qaeda' and that he is an 'elitist' -- any more than McCain who lives in VERY EXCLUSIVE environs in Sedona AZ with his multi-millionaire heiress wife? Or even more laughably -- that he is a 'socialist'! Those who smear or distort Obama in these ways (including the overtly racist ones) DESERVE some of their 'own' back; and as I long ago learned, that 'eye for an eye' IS the spirit of the blog and NO ONE is exempt from its 'law'... "

Twilite wrote on Aug 7, 2008 2:12 PM:

" I'm republican and hope that everyone knows that this is not the way MOST repubs feel, even if we don't want a dem to win. People who do this type of thing are a party in themselves. Call it the KKK. Also, Obama isn't black. He's bi-racial. He has dark skin, but he's as much white as he is black. "

Vindicator wrote on Aug 7, 2008 2:04 PM:

" Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't
Obama white too?? Hate crime? The whole
political process could be categorized as a
hate crime! "

Willie wrote on Aug 7, 2008 1:53 PM:

" Actually Al, I don't, I arrived at that conclusion myself, long before they did, I imagine. I don't subscribe to either extreme view, but I do think voting Obama into office would be a mistake. I don't agree with either side's dirty political tricks, but I am suspicious about the motives of this one. There has been an awful lot of counter-tactics from the Dems lately. "

Willie wrote on Aug 7, 2008 1:48 PM:

" My, my Michael, don't we think we are special?! Your comments are as bigoted as the racial remarks, if not worse. "

patrioticamerican wrote on Aug 7, 2008 1:34 PM:

" Hey Michael, thankfully we have such enlightened places such as LaCrosse and Madison in Wisconsin, right? Can you be anymore arrogant? "

Michael Welch wrote on Aug 7, 2008 1:32 PM:

" Obama didn't 'paint' ANY remarks on any Vernon county farmhouses and neither did I. What I REALLY want to know however is Did they spell the words correctly and were some letters turned the opposite way? There are folks who obviously ain't got enuff ta do 'til the aid to dairy cows check arrives it seems to me... "

The Shining wrote on Aug 7, 2008 1:15 PM:

" Oh yes, that's the Wisconsin we have come to know. Braindead unemployed racists. We should be so proud. "

Big E wrote on Aug 7, 2008 12:40 PM:

" Welch: are your comments about the people of Viroqua any less derogatory than what was painted on the window? "

Michael Welch wrote on Aug 7, 2008 12:31 PM:

" In Vernon county we're out in the 'Deliverance' boonies (the exemplary Karen Dahl, a generous and gracious woman, ALWAYS excepted!) so whan da fellers come outta da hollers whoooo wheee! You mean dars a COLORED BOY a-runnin' fer preseedent a' dese Yew-nited States! GOLLLLL-LLEEEE! Race IS involved in this campaign and the one thing you CAN say 'fer' these particular Vernonites is that they make that VERY clear indeed... "

Darwin wrote on Aug 7, 2008 12:11 PM:

" This is embarrassing to everyone who walks upright. What a bunch of @sses.

Viroqua, I'm not sure you're getting your money's worth, tax-wise. "

chief wrote on Aug 7, 2008 11:59 AM:

" To Al Gore, what are you talking about winning for? You lost to GW! "

turbocharged wrote on Aug 7, 2008 11:54 AM:

" I amazed there was no comment in the article that this is "chilling" to the democratic process!

It was probably a couple kids who had nothing better to do, the more you put this crap in the paper and keep leaving it up, they will keep doing it. Just take it off and don't draw media attention to it, and they'll likely move on.

Sounds to me like they need to get over themselves over there. "

Al Gore wrote on Aug 7, 2008 11:52 AM:

" This is how repubs win elections but they have trouble winning a war "

BigPhilly14 wrote on Aug 7, 2008 11:50 AM:

" this is awesome "

Al Gore wrote on Aug 7, 2008 11:50 AM:

" Repubs will do anything to win "

ezzee wrote on Aug 7, 2008 11:46 AM:

" I must have missed the part of the article where it says it was done by Republicans. Maybe someone can point that out. "

Al Gore wrote on Aug 7, 2008 11:34 AM:

" Willie You been listening to Hannity and Limbaugh on Dicks Log Cabin Repub radio station and FOX news I can tell "

Anna Banana wrote on Aug 7, 2008 11:32 AM:

" Big E you are wrong it was not the Democratic party doing the voter registrations, it was an independent group ACORN which for some reason the Tribune felt necessary to lable as "liberal leaning." I also read the whole story which indicated ACORN reported the irregularities themselves unlike anything you would see coming out of the Republican camp, they pride themeselves on cover ups. "

Willie wrote on Aug 7, 2008 11:31 AM:

" You know it was a DEMOCRAT that did it. They have to make it look like the repubs are up to no good by making it look like they are responsible for the graffiti. Don't mention currently falsifying voter registration and paying bums to vote in the past. This country will regret voting Osama Hussein Obama into office. Buyer beware! "

Big E wrote on Aug 7, 2008 11:19 AM:

" Did anyone see the article in the Trib about the Dems registering people to vote? People who don't exist? "

Al Gore wrote on Aug 7, 2008 11:13 AM:

" Repubs are a bunch of @$$ holes "

Double A wrote on Aug 7, 2008 11:12 AM:

" Leave it up? No. Clean it off right away and stop reporting it. Have someone check it now and then and be diligent about simply removing the spray paint and leaving well enough alone. They will stop then. "

rickey wrote on Aug 7, 2008 11:10 AM:

" Those Red-Necked hateful Savich/Limbaugh like hate merchant repubs are back to Their Swift-boat,Watergate,Britney/Paris type dirty tricks.They cannot use issued to win an election cause Their policies are bad for the middle class, They want to sell their Trickle down/supply side economics which only helps the rich "


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