Speaking of flying pigs, I was shocked to see a column in today's Lewiston Tribune from liberal editorialist Jim Fisher titled, "Spite and Malice Party files absurd lawsuit." Fisher has been so busy as of late bashing Gov. Sarah Palin and Rep. Bill Sali, it's hard to believe he has had time to pay attention to the Washington gubernatorial race.

In response to the lawsuit filed by the Washington Democratic Party to force ballots to show Dino Rossi as "Republican" vs. "GOP," Fisher writes:

As long as Washington Democrats are suing to change the way Republican candidate for governor Dino Rossi identifies his party affiliation on the ballot, why don't they ask the judge to change that affiliation to "Right-wing Kook Party"?

That wouldn't be much more ridiculous than going to court to require that Rossi be listed as a Republican rather than saying he "prefers GOP party."

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"It's clear that Republican Dino Rossi's deception and extraordinary efforts to hide his party affiliation could have an impact," Democratic spokesman Kelly Steele says.

Oh brother. Under current law, Rossi was free to identify himself with no party if he chose to do so. The charge that using the common GOP name for the Republican Party is an attempt to deceive should insult every voter.

Speaking of insults, how can Gregoire permit her party's chairman, Dwight Pelz, to echo Steele's nasty rhetoric in saying Rossi "apparently doesn't have the courage to be honest with voters voluntarily, and Sam Reed apparently doesn't have the courage to stand up to his party's gubernatorial candidate's dishonest scheme to deceive Washingtonians on the ballot"?

That kind of language belongs on the schoolyard, not in a serious contest between adults seeking elective office. Or doesn't Gregoire care to be seen as an adult in this race?

In a radio interview yesterday, Dino Rossi said the Democrats were "desperate."

Indeed.  And who could be more desperate than the Whitman County Democrats?  Those poor, angry, paranoid, looney left-wing WSU professors are stuck in an area that hasn't sent a Republican to Olympia since the Great Depression.

Rather than frivilous lawsuits (although they are certainly capable of those,) our local Dems have taken the usual campaign sign vandalism that happens every election cycle, to every candidate of both party, and tried to turn into a lurid conspiracy theory worthy of the National Enquirer.

The pages of our local newspapers and police blotters have been filled recently with reports of Democratic signs being destroyed by an evil person or persons unknown.  Or maybe not so unknown.

In last week's Whitman County Gazette, Whitman County Democrats chair Carolyn Cress made the astounding allegation that Obama signs supposedly ripped up and set on fire in the back of Matthew Root's wife's truck "was in retaliation for a letter to the editor sent by Matthew Root" that "criticized Tom Forbes of Pullman."  Another Democrat, Joan Harris, wrote in a letter to the editor that she knew it wasn't "juvenile vandalism" and was instead an "attempt to terrorize our membership."  In his letter to the editor, Matthew Root wrote that, "In burning the bed of our truck, you demonstrated your disdain for small, family-owned businesses, a group that Sen. Obama's opponents say they support."

Then in today's Gazette, WSU Sociology department chair Greg Hooks rants:

What is going on in Whitman County? Last Saturday, I helped put candidate signs (Barack Obama for President and Christine Gregoire for Governor) on a barn on Highway 26. Within a day, someone had trespassed to remove them. This was not an impulsive act. As they were secured with nails and located high on the barn, removing the signs required tools and a ladder--along with at least 30 minutes work.

Last week, we learned that a Pullman homeowner's truck was deliberately damaged when Democratic yard signs were used to set a fire in the back of his pickup. A few weeks ago, we learned that a rightwing blog featured racist one-liners and "joked" about using "liberal" college professors as piñatas.

I hope the police will give serious consideration to these acts being an organized effort to silence and intimidate those who support Democratic candidates.

These trumped-up, outrageous and defamatory accusations, of course, have been proferred without a single shred of evidence or proof.  There is no "vast right-wing conspiracy" in Whitman County, at least not by anyone associated with this blog.  No one here is trying to "silence" the Democrats.  In fact, it's just the opposite.  This blog threatens them so much that they are willing to manufacture the vilest and most fantastic lies to shut us up, especially when we bring to daylight issues like campaign financial reporting irregularities at the Whitman County Democratic headquarters or the fact that a Democratic candidate is using her campaign money to purchase dresses at out-of-state stores.  It's amazing that such educated people are incapable of responding with their own reason, words and arguments, instead of, as Fisher pointed out, resorting to the schoolyard tactics of "I'm tellin'!!!'"

If anyone is threatened here, it is the citizens of Whitman County.  If you don't know "who butters your bread," as liberal Chuck Pezeshki so eloquently put it, and are not not "smart enough" to give WSU faculty members things they demand like no Wal-Mart and a plastic bag tax, then be prepared to have your name very publicly dragged through the mud.  There certainly is an "organized effort" going on in Whitman County and is it being waged by those bitter leftists who are tried of losing all the time.

Would you vote for a candidate supported by these ideological zealots who are willing to do or say anything to smear an opponent, just as we have seen happen with Sarah Palin?  I'm certainly examing my legal options, but the most important thing you can do to reject the message of hate and divisiveness being spread, is simply vote against every single Democrat on your ballot.  That will send them a message loud and clear.

UPDATE: According to today's Moscow-Pullman Daily News, yet another "incident" has occurred:

A presidential campaign sign was found on fire in Whitman County on Tuesday.

A large Barack Obama sign was removed from the property of Donna Gwinn in Garfield on Tuesday and found ablaze in the middle of State Route 27.

Gwinn said she since has replaced the sign, but found it this morning covered in racist graffiti.

"I would really call it a hate crime, right here in my own neighborhood," Gwinn said. "I would like to find who is doing this and teach them the process.

Matthew Root, who has been silent for months, now comments on the Daily News website about this reporte:

Enough is Enough -- it is becoming evident that these hateful acts may be related. The police need to take this seriously and investigate - Now.

Are ya seein' a pattern here?  I guess we'll have one of these "incidents" every day until Election Day. 

For people that are supposedly "terrorized," they're being awfully vocal in newspapers and television.  And as for the police, it was also reported in today's Daily News that Moscow police just broke up a "graffiti club."   Yeah, there's no way young kids would be out vandalizing campaign signs.  If Mr. Root has any substantive information, he should immediately inform the police.  If not, he should keep his libelous accusations to himself..

I'm curious where all the calls for investigations of "hate crimes" were back in July when dozens of Dino Rossi signs were vandalized in Olympia.