Via Mother Jones, PolitiScoop identifies Wisconsin Tea party members bragging online about collecting signatures on petitions to recall Gov. Scott Walker -- in order to destroy them. One of them even bragged that he would "be able to destroy upwards of 15-20 percent of the entire collected ballots in the state of Wisconsin":
Madison -- The kick off campaign to recall embattled governor Scott Walker kicks off in just four days and with that date approaching, the tea party has plans of its own. Politiscoop has received several screen shots of tea party and right wing activists planning to pass themselves off as those circulating petitions to recall the governor.
In one facebook post a user named Charles Atlas Shrugging begins the plan by saying "I'd like to collect signatures of those who want to recall Walker...so I can have something to feed my shredder.."
In another such post Matt Wynns who claims to be a small business owner states "I shall be heating my home with recall signature. as they sign, I'll make sure to tell them not to sign another petition. I figure I can get a hundred to a few hundred signatures off the ballot. F*#&* (Word edited) Liberals.
The list of disgusting posts go on, even after a user reminded each and every one of them that their plans would violate Wisconsin statutes. It makes me wonder if the media will pick up on these plans and make it public knowledge, just as they did with the Scott Walker death threat on facebook. I agree all threats are serious and have no place in the arena, but if I were to compare these posts to the suggestive post about Scott Walker, I would have to say these are more pointed, planned and with the intent of harming Democracy as well as those circulating petitions.
As you click the links below and read their posts, some even suggest using the castle doctrine as a way to dissuade people taking part in their democracy. In essence, these individuals are breaking the terms of service of Facebook by the use of intimidation and or bullying. Furthermore, these individuals have now publicly planned to commit a felony in the state of Wisconsin.
Politiscoop contacted the Democratic Party of Wisconsin for a statement in regards to these facebook posts. Graeme Zielinski the party spokesman had this to say.
Destroying petitions or engaging in the acts you describe are serious felonies. However, these threats are intended to sow confusion. We won't let them win, especially not like this. Petitions will be clearly marked and the circulators will be identified by a lanyard, but if anyone thinks they were tricked, they can come to one of our 30-plus recall offices and sign a petition, which we will make sure is scanned properly and sent to our collection site. But again, the behavior you describe would be highly illegal.
