Officer Accused of Damaging Pro-Bush Cars (Bush & Limbaugh stickers)

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

Officer Accused of Damaging Pro-Bush Cars

By ROBERT WELLER
The Associated Press
Friday, December 16, 2005; 1:12 PM

DENVER -- The Air Force Reserve plans to discharge a lieutenant colonel accused of defacing cars that had pro-Bush bumper stickers, the military said Friday.

Lt. Col. Alexis Fecteau, a pilot with 500 combat hours in the first Persian Gulf war and the Balkans, is charged with criminal mischief for allegedly using paint stripper to write a profanity about Bush in 18-inch-high letters on cars at Denver International Airport.

The cars had bumper stickers supporting President Bush and conservative talk-show host Rush Limbaugh.

Jim Miller, a spokesman for the Air Force Reserve Command at Robins Air Force Base, Ga., said the command plans to begin the process of giving Fecteau an administrative discharge. He said Fecteau does not face any military punishment.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/16/AR2005121601026.html

[SteppingRazor]

1. Would they toss him if he damaged Kerry stickers?

Somehow, I think not.

[wicket]

11. Nah, they'd give him a purple bandaid medal instead

:eyes: God I hate these people.

[bertha katzenengel]

15. Baloney.

Are you sure your comment isn't from pure anger and cynicism? What makes you believe this man wouldn't be punished for vandalism if he had chosen different cars?

[SteppingRazor]

16. Oh, I'm not an angry person at all...

I am, however, utterly, completely cynical. I gotta give you that :evilgrin:

It's amazing how I can think so badly of the world and still manage to maintain progressive ideals. I don't know how I do it. :shrug:

[bertha katzenengel]

17. at least half of DU says the same thing, S.R., i'm sure

:hi:

[tx_dem41]

2. Sounds like, if guilty, he is getting what he deserves. n/t

[BlueCaliDem]

55. Yeah--Who did this Lieutenant think He was? Bush? Rummy?!

The man's stupid to go out and follow the Bush regime's example of "defacing other people's property"--in their case, an entire SOVEREIGN COUNTRY--without being held accountable in any which way.

Only the rich and powerfully connected in the United States are allowed such " prime privileges".

All others are subject to any and all legal, military and what-not prosecution for their detrimental/damaging behavior towards innocent people.

[Exiled in America]

63. Agreed.

[MercutioATC]

3. ...and he should be prosecuted.

(if he did it)

It's not O.K. to excuse these things just because it fits our political agenda. Vandalism is still wrong.

[stepnw1f]

4. I Have to Agree Although

the dark side of me is smiling.

[Cha]

60. The Dark Side of me..is

thinking .."what has he had to go through to get to this point?..poor baby!"

[SquireJons]

24. I've wanted to do the same thing, but...

I do believe in freedom of expression and property rights. So I can't excuse what he did. A better way to express his opinion to these right wingers would be to slap an intelligent anti right wing sticker right next to the other stickers. Something like:

I heart Liers...

[Nostradammit]

35. And they never should have dumped that tea in the harbor.

Hooligans.

[MercutioATC]

37. You're equating vandalizing cars with the Boston Tea Party?

sheesh....

[Nostradammit]

41. How would you suggest a disgruntled officer cut throught the media

stranglehold to make his point? Vandalism sucks, indeed, but I also believe it's going to take some radical actions to wake America the fuck up. Cars can be replaced - the kids they are sending over there to die cannot.

[MercutioATC]

46. Sorry, that doesn't excuse his actions...

There's nothing to suggest that he "wanted to be heard". He was simply vandalizing cars.

The only point he made was that some people are willing to destroy others' property when they don't agree with them.

[Arkana]

50. I have to agree.

If he was wrecking cars with Kerry stickers, we'd be trashing this guy quicker than spit. Despite the fact that my dark side is smiling vindictively right now, I have to side with you in saying that he needs to suffer the consequences of his actions.

[Nostradammit]

57. If he was "simply vandalising cars," why did he target ones

that had Bush stickers?

[MercutioATC]

65. Because he was inappropriately expressing his feelings with Bush.

Regardless, it was inappropriate and he deserves the consequances of his actions.

[manic expression]

48. Yes.

I definitely agree.

[Pharlo]

53. The owners of the vandalized cars most likely had insurance;

the owners of the tea in the ship's hold (which was tossed overboard) most likely did not. Therefore, based upon general probabilities, the tea was a greater monetary loss. Intent was there in both instances. It's just easier for many of us to identify with car vandalism than the loss of a shipload of merchandise.

[Centered]

72. just because you have insurance...

doesn't make it free for the person vandalised... don't forget the insurance companies love to raise your rates if they have to actually pay out anything for you (god forbid they would have to do what they say they are going to do.) Next thing you know you get a rate hike because you are a "high risk driver... or you drive a "high risk" vehicle.

For the record though the Tea was insured by Llyod's of London.

peace

[Centered]

62. I agree

after the 2004 Election someone went through some local neighborhoods where I live and "keyed" every SUV on the street. Vandalism is wrong and it doesn't do anything but hurt no matter what the motivation. We are better than that!

[Exiled in America]

64. I'm relieved to see this point of view.

[Solly Mack]

5. See now, if he had only claimed to be "torturing" the cars, he

wouldn't get charged.

[Ilsa]

6. Bwaaaaahahahahaha! Solly Mack gets another one in!

:applause: Great jab! :yourock:

[Solly Mack]

9. I couldn't resist

:)

[NanceGreggs]

8. EXCELLENT!

:woohoo:

[Solly Mack]

10. Hi!

:)

Sadly, it's probably true.

[superconnected]

7. Iraqi troops, get out your paint guns.

Agree it's not good to vandalize. But if it saves your life and someone elses by you getting out of the military, screw the car.

[alarcojon]

51. Except this tactic is probably politically useless

For it to be useful, it would have to be practiced on a mass scale. I don't think this single act will change any minds one way or the other, though the right-wing pinheads will use this case to whine about "those intolerant Bush-hating America-hating lefties" at every opportunity.

[Democrats_win]

12. Doesn't he know that he needs to be in Iraq to commit crimes.

[JohnnyRingo]

13. Alexis Fecteau for Congress '06 n/t

[TheBaldyMan]

18. then wait for right-wing nuts to rubbish his war record n/t

[Warpy]

14. One thing that needs to be pointed out is that he's BRASS

and not an enlisted man whose just done his third tour to come home to find his house foreclosed, his business bankrupt, and his wife gone.

This is a guy who's watching what the Iraq war is doing to an armed services he probably loves.

Yeah, he needs to be cited for vandalism, and yeah, it's time for a discharge from the military. However, we need to note who this guy is and how far up the chain of command he is.

This is bigger than it looks.

[MercutioATC]

19. That's what struck me.

The administration always paints the troops as all supporting the war. It's important to show every case we can where that's not true, even if it's an issue like this.

[jackpan1260]

22. That is interesting. He is still guilty though.

[Hyernel]

20. He should get a medal.

[Charlie Brown]

34. If he had vandalized a Democrat's car, would you still think that? n/t

[Hyernel]

36. Of course not. It's a total double standard on my part.

:evilgrin:

[Joey Liberal]

21. He's being discharged for this?

Bush went AWOL during wartime and was honorably discharged. This guy defaces bumper stickers supporting Bush and Slimebaugh (I would do the same thing), and he gets booted out of the service? What is wrong with this picture?

[kymar57]

23. Vandalism

He didn't "deface bumper stickers" He used paint stripper to vandalize cars with paint stripper in "18 inch letters". But still a good point.
:toast:

[Charlie Brown]

33. He embarrassed the service, and was held accountable by his superiors

If this was a just world, Bush would have been discharged exactly the same way.

[Joey Liberal]

49. They should make him a General and........

Bush should be impeached.

[MadisonProgressive]

25. War veteran accused of defacing pro-Bush cars

http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/12/16/bush.vandalism.ap/index.html

I'm sorry for being immature about this, but this makes me happy!

DENVER, Colorado (AP) -- The Air Force Reserve plans to discharge a lieutenant colonel accused of defacing cars that had pro-Bush bumper stickers, the military said Friday.

Lt. Col. Alexis Fecteau, a pilot with 500 combat hours in the first Persian Gulf war and the Balkans, is charged with criminal mischief for allegedly using paint stripper to write a profanity about President Bush in 18-inch-high letters on cars at Denver International Airport.

The cars had bumper stickers supporting President Bush and conservative talk-show host Rush Limbaugh.

Jim Miller, a spokesman for the Air Force Reserve Command at Robins Air Force Base in Georgia, said the command plans to begin the process of giving Fecteau an administrative discharge. He said Fecteau does not face any military punishment.

[rzemanfl]

26. Isn't this old news? The discharge point is new, but the car part

happened months ago.

[MadisonProgressive]

28. I don't know - I'd never seen it before

the date of the article says:

Friday, December 16, 2005; Posted: 7:52 p.m. EST (00:52 GMT)

[rzemanfl]

44. Lt. Col. Fecteau was charged in early August. Article at MSNBC

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8894346/ How are things in Mad City? Snowy, I hear.

[MadisonProgressive]

45. Yup - sucks bigtime

[stillcool]

27. I'll be immature with you....

it's the simple joys in life.....:hi:

[deadparrot]

29. I don't support what he did.

Deliberate destruction of private property is wrong, period. If it was a Democrat's car, we'd be outraged.

However, I do find it interesting that it was a veteran that was doing it.

[MadisonProgressive]

30. I don't support it, encourage it, or condone it

I'm just admitting that when I read it I had a reaction I'm not very proud of. I felt sadly very happy and satisfied.

[deadparrot]

39. No, me too.

I'd be lying if I said that a smile didn't cross my face, even though my head was telling me "this is WRONG." That's how bad partisan politics has gotten, I suppose.

[bluestateguy]

31. While we can never condone this

rather than condemning the person who did this we should be looking at the policies of the Bush Administration that may be pushing some people too far.

[Charlie Brown]

32. What he did was wrong, and I agree with the discharge

This conduct is unbecoming of someone in the service and accomplishes nothing.

[Common Sense Party]

66. Absolutely. Wrong is wrong.

No matter how much we may agree with the guy's feelings, or motives, or ideology, we cannot condone his way of expressing himself. He committed a crime. That makes those of us who dislike the administration's policies to look immature and vindictive, guilt by association and all that.

It's sad that so many are praising his actions and saying they'd do the same thing.

We don't have to sink to that level.

[Irreverend IX]

38. I wonder what the car's owners thought...

When they found out the perp was an Air Force officer instead of the unwashed hippie they probably pictured when they saw the damage?

Hopefully this guy will talk to the media about his motivation for this act. I have a feeling that Bush's actions are bringing more conscientious military brass near the emotional boiling point.

[No Exit]

40. Don't care if he broke the law, God bless him!

It's not like he killed or attacked a person. It's PROPERTY.

Good for him! People like me sit here and say things like, "Time to get our pitchforks and head to Washington!" This guy actually did something. It's not what I would've chosen to do. But I still like watching it.

Military types are usually pretty circumspect when it comes to politics. Something must've made this guy feel rage. Gee, wonder what about Bush and Rush could do that to a person??

[MercutioATC]

47. We'll see how YOU feel when a Repub does that to your car because of your

political bumper stickers.

:eyes:

[No Exit]

70. Bullshit. I don't use any bumper stickers, for that very reason.

And, though you seem not to have noticed, I said I wouldn't choose to do what the guy did--in fact, I never have done it.

So, don't worry, I've preserved my "right" to be righteously angry if someone gratuitously destroys my property. (And what a great source of comfort that is to me.)

Could you please tell me WHICH party's members listen with approval when one of their idols (who incidentally figures in this story) says, "There's a part of me that LIKES this story about the peace missionaries being kidnapped in Iraq"?

And could you please tell me which of the 2 major parties contains more members who are likely to say the following:

"They (the other party's members) DESERVE whatever they get!"

"Someone should just kick the shit out of them--they need some sense knocked into them!"

"They should be jailed! They're a threat to this country!"

"Mr. Smith and Mr. Wesson would've solved that problem!"

It is a fact that the repuke rank-and-file party members are proud advocates of violent behavior. You disagree? Oh, okay. That unprovoked invasion of a country which was not an imminent threat (arguably, not a threat at all) to us--yeah, okay, that's not violent behavior.

You read DU. Go and read freerepublic some time. What you will find: people here are quick to smack down advocacy of violence (look at you, sanctimoniously smacking down my own expression of opinion), while people on freerepublic are more likely to join in and say "rah rah" when someone starts advocating violence against, say, "liberals" or "environmental wackos".

The fucker with the Rush and Bush stickers is not the object of any sympathy from me--regardless of the fact that the vandal acted illegally. So you can drop the sanctimony.

[MercutioATC]

73. It's still wrong to destroy another's property because you don't agree

with their political views.

[No Exit]

76. You're a good little cipher.

You fit right in with corporate America's plan for us. Property is sacred above all. Above ALL. Above ALL. Above individuals' freedom, their privacy, their ability to get food or water, their ability to have shelter, their ability to even have children, their very lives.

I am not saying that the vandal was fighting for all those things. He sounds more like he was just mad as hell and didn't want to take it any more.

And I think I understand where you are coming from. From infancy, we are taught that private ownership is absolutely sacred. Socialism and communism are to be fought with the sacrifice of our lives, if necessary. Only trouble is, the poor bastards who actually sacrifice their lives fighting these "evils" don't realize that it is the property rights of a CHOSEN FEW--not their OWN property rights-- which they are protecting.

Do corporations care about your property when they tear down trees to build strip mall after strip mall after strip mall (many of which then perform poorly and are half vacant)?

Do coporations care about your property when they shrink products over and over again, yet charge you the same price?

Do corporations care about your property when they monopolize agriculture and patent seeds so that you couldn't even save the seeds from your own crops to grow more next year?

Do corporations care about your property when they place tracking devices in the car which YOU must buy (because there isn't anything different on the market), thus gaining the ability to track YOUR property?

Do corporations care about your property when they use unbelievably onesided lending practices to "give" you a mortgage, setting you up to lose the property on which the mortgage is placed? (Check your mortgage contract for "arbitration" language.)

Was the owner of the vandalized car a corporation? Probably not. BUT THE PERSON WHO PLACED THOSE BUMPER STICKERS IS AIDING AND ABETTING THE CORPORATE GREED MACHINE. As such, I have no sympathy for him, and I applaud the actions of the vandal--even though I would not have taken those same actions.

[MercutioATC]

77. And you're a good little neo-hippie.

(no offense intended to real hippies)

Nice rant, but we are just as guilty of "supporting terrorists" as people with Bush bumper stickers are guilty of "AIDING AND ABETTING THE CORPORATE GREED MACHINE". It's a matter of perception. They have just as much to sport a pro-Bush bumper sticker as I do to display an anti-Bush sticker. Neither of us deserve to have our property damaged because of our political opinions.

People should be held responsible for their actions. This gentleman vandalized cars. It's proper that he pay the penalty for that.

Sheesh...grow the hell up.

:eyes:

[No Exit]

78. Oh--we're "guilty".... and YOU'RE calling ME a "neo-hippie"??

Good ol' Rush always says it's the "liberals", the "hippies", the "peaceniks" who live on guilt.

"People should be held responsible for their actions." That's more like it! Now there's a classic, righteous, right-thinking citizen standing up for law and order. (Law and order must always be preserved. Can't have those little people thinking otherwise. Now, if the PRESIDENT violates the law, it's okay, because he knows best...)

Hey, tell it to Exxon. I mean, it's a corporation, so it's a person, right? Exxon has been held responsible for the Valdez? News to me.

The political background of this "neo-hippie": I always voted republican, up till early 2003. Yes, that includes voting for Bush in 2000. Yes, that even includes sharing in the "dream" of freeptards that "gee, wouldn't it be great if we had congress AND the executive branch"? (The fraudulent Iraq war finally woke me up.) I was around when there really were "hippies", but never was one. I even felt kind of sorry for frikkin' Nixon.

During the election season leading up to 2004, I never missed a chance to go on the forum I used then--a somewhat wingnut-infested forum--to post articles and comments that attempted to show Bush for what he is.

And you know what? The wingnuts on that forum came back at me and called me a "liberal wacko" and a "hippie" or "neo-hippie". What a laugh. I was as conservative as they come.

Be sure to applaud each time someone lays down his/her life to protect the Sacred Property Rights of Halliburton, Exxon, and Kellogg-Brown & Root. The corporatocracy needs YOU!

Though I would not have done it that way, I applaud the actions of the "gentleman" who vandalized the Bush and Rush bumper stickers.

[MercutioATC]

79. No, we're not "guilty"...that's my point.

We have every right to express our political views. So do Republicans. If WE want to continue to express OUR views without fear of reprisal, we must provide that freedom for EVERYBODY.

What this soldier did was short-sighted and irresponsible. I guess we'll just have to disagree on that issue.

[No Exit]

80. Let me just tell you-I never approved of the title of "Steal This Book"

until after 2003. Realizing just how poisonous Bush and the whole republican party are gave me a new perspective. Suddenly I was able to consider ideas which I had ALWAYS dismissed in the past as "liberal garbage".

One of those ideas--except this one was not dismissed as garbage, but was, on the contrary, elevated to dogma--was this cant we're taught from cradle to grave--"property is sacred".

Imagine my surprise when I found out that republicans consider property (profits) more sacred than human life. Yes, that's right--it's okay to sacrifice human lives, as long as we "win" the right to control the oil and as long as we protect the "right" to have the dollar, not the euro, be the currency used by OPEC.

It's okay to sacrifice human lives; the corporations show this in their every deed. It's okay, because those human lives are not THEIR members' human lives.

I want the property owners themselves to fight to protect their property. The "sacred" right of property ownership will speedily return to its proper place in the scheme of things if the property owner himself is asked to lay down HIS life to protect his property--instead of having some OTHER poor sap lay down his life to protect it.

[MercutioATC]

81. It's just my opinion, but...

...if you let their actions color your sense of right and wrong, they've won.

It's wrong to harm another. By destroying their property, you've harmed them. Regardless of what THEY do, each of us is still in control of their own actions and can decide whether to respond in kind or act in a way that we feel contributes to the sort of society we envision.

[davsand]

42. "I'm not saying it's right--but I understand."

Chris Roc used that line in a stand up comedy routine when he was talking about OJ Simpson.

Somehow that line has always stuck with me. Maybe that is because there are so many times in life when you knew that it was the WRONG thing to do--but it felt so GOOD at the time...

I'm NOT saying he was right to damage those cars--but in the light of the awful things the chimp and his pals have done to our country and the world, I understand why that guy felt the way he did...



Laura

[wookie294]

43. Give him a medal

Support these kind of troops (not the other kind who willfully obey)!

[Bill McBlueState]

52. another one of these threads...

This is just another issue where the same crew of posters shows up with:

"Support for this will make DU look bad!"
"Support for this makes us lose elections!"
"Everyone on DU will think this is great, except ME, because I'm LOGICAL"

even though hardly anyone is saying this guy shouldn't have been discharged.

[Ezlivin]

54. In Iraq he would have had a gun and the car filled with civilians

Okay, not exactly him, necessarily, but you get the point.

Our guys are shooting the hell out of cars filled with civilians and it doesn't make the news.

War is hell...

[Zodiak]

56. The guy was a Colonel

That says a lot to me. Yeah, what he did is wrong and he is getting his just deservation for it, so arguing the point is moot. Justice is served.

But this is a form of misguided civil disobedience, in my opinion. I would imagine he feels that his hands are tied in openly expressing his disgust at today's military ventures (isn't there a strong atmosphere of not questioning the CIC in the military?), and he acted rashly to allieviate some of that frustration.

It is not as noble as Cindy Sheehan laying down in front of the White House, but it is in the same ballpark. And good civil disobedience means he is willing to take his punishment, which I assume he is.

And for those of us that feel that frustration, as well, it is perfectly fine to extract a tiny amount of satisfaction at this act. These are the times we live in, and Democrats, liberals, and the like have a right to be as flawed as the other side of the aisle when it comes to cheering.

[CabalPowered]

58. Did anything else ever come out about General Byrnes?

TIA

[NNguyenMD]

59. you think after all the effort and time training a Lt. Col they'd think

alittle harder before discharging a well trained Air Force Pilot.

[PaganPreacher]

61. He showed bad judgment and poor impulse control...

...neither of which are desirable attributes in a military aviator.

Out he goes.

The Pagan Preacher
I don't turn the other cheek.

[amitten]

67. Rock on, vandal guy.

All you're doing is defacing already defaced property.

[Raine]

68. I wouldn't do it or condone it BUT

I can see where he was frustrated enough to do it.:banghead: I get so sick of those bushies strutting around with stickers that are anywhere from 1-5 years old and never getting flack about it.:-( I live in the Los Angeles area but didn't dare to put a Kerry sticker on my car cause I didn't want to get run off the road. :scared:

[rfkrfk]

69. officers are expected to be, not openly political

not so long ago, officers were discouraged from voting,
of course, in the reserve - not on active duty, you are a civilian,

but,'accused felon' and 'officer', do not go together

[bklyncowgirl]

71. Damaging or defacing people's property is wrong regardless of the politics

As much as I understand and sympathize with this person's motivation, what he did was as wrong as if a right winger had done the same to a liberals bumper stickers.

[JI7]

74. he gave a lot for this country, he should be pardoned

[Raydawg1234]

75. Although I sympathize with his anger, I canot support this act of

vandalism. Though we may disagree with the people who put the bumper-stickers on their car, that is their right to free speech, and we should respect that. How would we like it if they vandalized our cars?

[Rocknrule]

82. Come on people

While this was inappropriate, you all know good and well that if it had been an anti-Bush car, the guy probably would've gotten a fucking medal