Dead Soldier's Family Hit by Vandals

[meganmonkey]

FAIRFIELD, Ohio (AP) - Vandals tore American flags out of the yard of a dead soldier's family the day after his funeral, then set a car on fire, authorities said.

Army Pfc. Tim Hines died July 14 of complications of injuries he suffered last month in a roadside bombing in Baghdad. His funeral was Friday.

On Saturday, someone pulled the flags out of the family's yard, stuffed them under a car in the driveway and set the whole thing on fire. Firefighters doused the blaze and no one was injured, but the car was destroyed.

---snip---

Lt. Ken Colburn, a police spokesman, said authorities hope ``that anyone stupid enough to do something like this will be stupid enough to talk about it and someone else will come forward.''

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-5167711,00.html

:wtf:

[Greeby]

1. Ahem

I'll let my emoticons do the talking :grr: :nuke: :mad: :banghead: :argh:

[meganmonkey]

2. More info:

Wessel said he didn't want to think about the possibility the arson could be a war protest targeting his family. And even if it was, it clearly went too far, he said.

"People can burn the flag, but they don't have the right to burn my flag," said the soft-spoken Wessel, 44. "People have the right to protest, but they don't have the right to destroy my property."

--snip--

The family was asleep when the fire broke out about 5:30 a.m. Saturday. By Saturday afternoon, in a move that filled the grieving family with some joy after weeks of darkness, the flags were replaced with more than 200.

Family, friends, neighbors, Fairfield firefighters and American Legion Post 138 in Hamilton filled the Sando Drive front yard and lined the street with them.



http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050726/NEWS01/507260361

[tanyev]

7. "Wessel said he didn't want to think about the possibility

the arson could be a war protest targeting his family"

Or it could have been done by someone who very much wants people to think that. A frame-up to stir up negative feelings toward those who are protesting the war.

[meganmonkey]

8. I must admit

I had the same thought.

I can't imagine anyone doing this as a protest against the war.

Boggles the mind.

:(

[tanyev]

12. I'm especially suspicious since this story is from Ohio.

We have ample evidence from the election and Coingate that the Republicans have a dirty, ruthless, political machine in place.

[roseBudd]

32. this is the whiteyville suburbs where suburban kids do vandalism for

kicks.

[redqueen]

20. No! Our government would never send in moles to discredit an organization!

That's never happened before, and it never will. We're the land of the freeeeeeeee!

:sarcasm:

[sakabatou]

33. Think it was somone with a Phelps-like mind

[Ian David]

21. Well, why don't we put out the call for everyone to send them flags?

Just send an email to all your friends: Send flags.

[meganmonkey]

22. They already got over 200 - see post #2

The family was asleep when the fire broke out about 5:30 a.m. Saturday. By Saturday afternoon, in a move that filled the grieving family with some joy after weeks of darkness, the flags were replaced with more than 200.

Family, friends, neighbors, Fairfield firefighters and American Legion Post 138 in Hamilton filled the Sando Drive front yard and lined the street with them.

[Ian David]

24. Well, we've gotta do SOMETHING with all those flags

Before they're all left flapping and decaying on people's cars.

I really do think this was done by some freeper to make democrats look bad.

We should all send Private Shergold as many flags as we can.

[SheepyMcSheepster]

3. that's sickening. eom

[iconoclastic cat]

4. Crystal meth is a horrible thing.

Scrambles your brains.

[StaggerLee]

5. Isn't it bad enough that this man died because of a lie?

I am very angry right now.

R.I.P. Soldier.

:patriot:

[Hav]

14. Yep

RIP Tim Hines
:patriot:

[lostnfound]

6. Purlockian, perhaps? nt

[UpInArms]

10. my thoughts, exactly

Where's Purlock?

[Solly Mack]

9. What's the frigging point in doing something like that?

[Beam Me Up]

11. I oppose this war but I would never do anything ANYTHING like that.

That is the most disturbing and disgusting thing to do to a grieving family -- other than trying to make war protestors look bad, I can not IMAGINE why anyone would do such a thing. I hope they find the perps and expose them to the whole community.

Edit: I shouldn't be reading the news this morning. I think my hear it going to break for our country :cry:

[meganmonkey]

13. Take a break if you need it

and remember that it can't go on like this forever.

The pendulum has to swing. Don't give up hope!

:hug:

[Vickers]

15. More tragedy to be laid at the feet of Idiot Boy Bush

And I agree that this sounds like a Rove dirty trick. I think people who protest wars are the LEAST likely to target the victims of war.

[Brooklyn Michael]

16. Not In My Name

I don't agree with this war.

I support the right to burn a flag.

My heart breaks that someone would do this to a family that just lost their son, who died serving his country.

My blood boils at the idea that someone, whether it was to make it look like the work of an anti-war protestor to make them look bad, or even if it really was a misguided anti-war protestor, would commit such a cowardly act.

I hope they catch the SOB('s) and throw the book at them.

And I hope the family can soon find peace.

[TNOE]

17. Local News

has been running this story for days - and in between alll the hype - it was mentioned that there had been "other vandelism" that occurred nearby at the same time. I got the distinct feeling it was kids - who probably had no ideal that this family just suffered a loss. Just kids being punks as they are prone to do. Personally, I think this is a lot to do about nothing. Nothing personal anyway.

[Julius Civitatus]

18. Where is Phil Parlock?

This nasty act of vandalism may just be a dirty trick, a staged photo op. It has happened before, and often. It just sounds a lot like the type of stuff Phil Parlock used to pull.

[meganmonkey]

19. A link for folks wondering who Purlock is

and why he keeps getting mentioned in this thread. He has a history of setting up situations to make democrats look bad:

http://www.washingtondispatch.com/spectrum/archives/000586.html

[Algorem]

23. Yup.

[GoneOffShore]

25. Could also be Phelpsian

Fred Phelps is protesting soldiers funerals.

[Zorra]

26. Yep. The odds are pretty good it was a freeper. n/t

[dhinojosa]

31. Oh you are right it's in Cincinnati!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Duh. Parlock lives in Northern Kentucky if I am not mistaken...

[maxrandb]

27. Interesting that this Occurred in the 2ND Congressional District

You know the one where the Democratic former US Marine (I know for my "jarhead" budies, "once a Marine, always a Marine) is challenging for a Republican controlled seat in the House.

Very curious indeed. Don't think this is a last minute appeal to the emotions of the voters in the 2ND district do you?

Pay no attention to the massive Republican Party scandals in Ohio! Pay no attention to the corrupt Republicans in the White House!
Pay no attention to the quarter of a million jobs lost in Ohio!

- why, someone just burned an Amurikan flag, and they did it at the home of a veteran killed in I-Rak. We know no republican would ever do that, so it must be gay supporters of that other guy.

"Yee-haw Ohio, continue to vote Republican and we too can be like Honduras"

[SaveAmerica]

28. My heart goes out to his young wife, his 2 year old and his baby

due in 2 weeks. Their lives will never be the same. I'm against the war, against vandalism, but I'm for our soldiers. They deserve better.

[progressivebydesign]

29. That's outrageous and NOT the work of anti-war protesters.

As some would like the world to believe, I have yet to see any anti-war protestors acting that cruelly. We are against the war BECAUSE of the casualties.

This reminds me of the stories we've heard of military members on leave from Iraq supposedly attacked by anti-war people, when in fact they are injuring themselves to avoid going back.

[dhinojosa]

30. Where is Fred Phelps?

IEDs are a god send

[donheld]

34. Whatever the reason's this is just plain sick

:grr::grr::grr::grr::grr::grr::grr::grr::grr::grr::grr::grr: