Prop 8 Sign Vandalism in Orange County

I mentioned on Sunday that when we voted at the Mission Viejo Mall we encountered a bunch of anti-Prop 8 protesters at the Mall entry. Prop 8 is the measure that would ban the newly-discovered right to gay marriage in California. According to this report there's been a significant amount of vandalism directed at supporters of Prop 8:

On the streets of Orange County suburbs, there's a silent war brewing over a proposition that would change the state's constitution to ban gay marriage.

The battles are taking place in the front yards and public right-of-ways from Buena Park to Mission Viejo, where those on both sides are reporting a multitude of Prop. 8 signs slashed, stolen, and tagged.

Supporters of the ban, who've kept track of the vandalism, say the climate of sign vandalism is among the worst they've seen, even worse than when a similar gay marriage ban was proposed in 2000. Reports have come in from Santa Ana, Yorba Linda, Huntington Beach, Fountain Valley and Irvine.

The word "biggot" was scrawled on a sign in Huntington Beach and dog poop left on door mats in Mission Viejo and Orange. One man in Fountain Valley became so frustrated that he constructed his own, sturdier sign on his front lawn.

"This is just the tip of the iceberg," said Michael Erickson, who has started tallying the reports and is the "Yes on 8" grassroots coordinator for the Huntington Beach area.

Those opposed to the ban don't keep track of vandalism to their signs, said Kathleen Campisano, field manager for "No on 8'' in Long Beach and Orange County. But Campisano, whose group has distributed 500 signs in the county, said she's sure it's happening on both sides of the campaign.

You know why the anti-8 people can't give specifics on vandalism directed against their signs? Probably because there hasn't been any worth noting. Lefties react very differently to opposition than do conservatives. When I saw those anti-8 protesters Sunday did I yell obscenities at them, shoot them the bird, try to run them down, or otherwise make a scene? No. I just ignored them.

Last night as I was walking in to the marching band rehearsal I passed one car with an Obama-Biden sticker and a second one that said "No on 8". Did I have to fight off the urge to key their cars or spit on their windshields? No. Unlike the left, I still respect the right of people to be wrong.

Lefties don't have a history of showing the maturity to do that. They get their feelings hurt and lash out in rage. They're totally invested in their feelings and sadly have few internal controls on how they react. I'm sure the vandals feel completely justified in their actions, even though they'd scream bloody murder if it happened to them. The exact same things have been happening to people who display McCain-Palin signs at home or on their cars. I'm not surprised it's been happening to Yes on Prop 8 signs. It's totally in character for the left.

This should be of concern to anyone who still values free speech. If expressing your speech means getting your property vandalized, why isn't that prosecuted as a hate crime? At the very least it's voter intimidation.

UPDATE: Reader Bob Hughes points out this story on vandalism that occurred this morning.

UPDATE 2: Prop 8 poll numbers:

The latest SurveyUSA poll shows 48 percent of likely California voters support Prop 8 with 45 percent opposed. That's down from a 5 point lead in last week's Survey USA today.

An emergency appeal by pro-gay marriage advocates in response to poor poll showing has led to a flood of Hollywood money (Steven Bing, that great marriage advocate, gave $500,000) and a $1 million lead gift from California teachers' unions. Their ad campaign is having an effect.

The Yes on 8 Protect Marriage campaign is fighting back with this "Everything to Do with Schools" ad.

Can the pro-marriage forces raise enough money to keep message parity with the ACLU/HRC/Labor unions/Hollywood crowd?

The next few days will tell.