Why sign stealing is not a small matter.

Why sign stealing is not a small matter.

Dear Beverly Review;

I would like to address the issue of stealing political signs. Sign stealing may seem like a small matter, almost a kids game, but in reality it is a evil act, an act of warfare against the freedoms of your fellow citizens. Oppression comes in many forms, it can come from the barrel of a gun, or passing of laws that takes away freedom, or from neighbors who want to silence the free speech of those who disagree with them. They may seem to all be of different categories, but in reality they all accomplish the same evil end which is to attempt to enslave, oppress, and silence another.

America is built on the principle of freedom. We have all been “endowed by our creator with certain inalienable rights, life liberty and the pursuit of happiness”. What makes a system of democracy work and not degenerate into a civil war is when the society respects and upholds the rights of others. That does not mean that we all have to agree, but freedom demands that I respect your right to disagree with me. A civil and just society can only exist when the rights of everyone in the society are respected and we peacefully accept the out come of our exercise in democracy.

What surprises me is that a majority of people in this neighborhood would call themselves Christians, and yet this sort of thing goes on perpetuated by Christian people. The main problem from a Christian perspective it is a failure to love your neighbor as yourself. Loving my neighbor as myself means I treat there opinion the same way I want them to treat mine. If I steal his sign, I am stealing his free speech, I steal his liberty, and that is not loving my neighbor.
We have the privilege of all participating in our great democratic system this spring. The question isn’t who will win or lose but what type of people will we be when the election is over. If I win by cheating I have really lost, because I have lost something far worst than losing an election, I have lost my soul. When we allow this type of thing to go one we also lose the spirit and power of our great democratic system and the sense of community that can only be present when we respect and love our neighbors.

Steven Wenner