And so it was last Election Day in volatile Hollywood when an argument at the polls between opponents led to chest-butting (yes, just like in sports) and left one man injured and now ready to file suit against the other.
The arena was a polling place at an elementary school. Eric Spivey, a supporter of city commission candidate Quentin "Beam" Furr, pulled up in a car with a huge campaign sign on top. He parked in front of the polling place and was then asked to move his car across the street so as not to influence voters unduly on the way in. Up walked John Lundin, a vocal supporter of commission candidate Joy Mack and volunteer poll-watcher, who got in Spivey's face about the car issue.
The Hollyweirdness emerged, and soon some manly chest-bumping ensued. Lundin says the much-larger Spivey knocked him to the ground on the third chest bump, and he hit his head and injured his neck. "It was political violence; he knocked me down to intimidate me," says Lundin, who is awaiting a medical report before suing.
The police arrived but no arrest was made. Attempts to reach Spivey were unsuccessful.
We wonder if the near sweep of offices by Mara G. and her supporters will quiet the waters in Hollywood. Nah.
The aggressive nature of politics can reveal itself in many forms, but on a postage stamp?
The aggression started when a political protestor was punched, and the tussle occurred in, of all places, mild-mannered Boca Raton. Gene McDonald was an anti-Clinton activist in 1998 who took his protest to the streets and held up signs demanding impeachment. Some Clintonite took exception and cold-cocked Mr. McDonald.
Following the motto "Ridicule is man's most potent weapon," (we heartily agree) McDonald fought back and issued a "Jail to the Chief" postage stamp, to the delight of conservatives.
The enterprising independent has a new target, he's issued the Queen Hillary I commemorative stamp. According to a Website (www.queenhillary.com) the graphic designer at the "Vast Right Wing Conspiracy Postal Service" tried to capture the First Lady's "arrogant, haughty, condescending… It Takes a Village look." The image is of Senate candidate H. Clinton wearing a crown, and it's accessorized with a hammer and sickle. The value marked on the stamp is zero cents. But that's not the cost.
McDonald now finds himself the owner of a growing e-commerce concern that is pulling in quite a few cents at the expense of Hillary. Each of the stamp books sells for $10, and he's sold more than 5000 of them. Free enterprise reigns!
McDonald thinks Hillary is a socialist whose radical left leanings will be revealed, and better yet for him and his stamps, he thinks she'll be in politics for a long time and has aspirations to run for President. His profit margin should be trending upward when he soon attends the New York Republican primary and the National Republican Convention to peddle the mocking stamps.
We have an idea: Produce an Al Gore stamp made of cardboard.
Got a tip? Call 954-233-1581, fax 954-233-1571, or e-mail [email protected].
