Meadowstone Farm has since removed the pictures from Instagram, but before that happened, they were very proud of what they’d done. So, what did they do?
They picked up Republican campaign signs from wherever they found them and cut them in half, then temporarily repurposed them – if for no other reason than to show everyone on Instagram how proud they were of what they did.
Becca Baily shared at least one image on Facebook along with these thoughts.
It seems the Meadowstone Farm is having a good time chopping up signs and making fun of the candidates on Instagram. It is illegal to do this (the sign part that is). So Dennis Wagner called the Bethlehem Police to check into this, mentioning it cost $6.00 a sign. When the police checked they determined that the Meadowstone Farm owed the Republicans slightly over $70.00. Dennis advised that the Meadowstone send the Bethlehem Fire Dept. a check for the damage to our signs compliments of the Northern Grafton County Republican Committee.
I’m not sure that math works based on this picture alone, but my interest is not limited to financial loss. It is a violation of state election law for a private citizen to remove any campaign sign that is not on their private property. It also by extension violates the State Constitution which has some very harsh penalties for violators.
Article 11 states that,
No person shall have the right to vote under the constitution of this state who has been convicted of treason, bribery or any willful violation of the election laws of this state or of the United States; but the supreme court, on notice of the attorney general, restore the privilege to vote to any person who may have forfeited it by conviction of such offenses. [emphasis mine]
This deliberate act is a violation of the law in both practice and spirit. The decapitation is photographed to send a deliberate message. Fining the perpetrators $70.00 is not any disincentive to the general population.
Revoking someones right to vote is. Actually, the very process itself would be a disincentive regardless of the result.
No, that’s probably not going to happen (it didn’t happen to this guy). The local police are not going to suggest it. But if someone else were to file a formal complaint with the AG and cite Article 11, maybe this problem gets a few more column inches, and the illegality of it earns some much-needed bandwidth.
The day before last weeks elections dozens of Republican signs disappeared on major route west of Warner. And we have received reports all election season long of entire towns stripped of GOP candidate signs.
It’s a huge problem and for the record, I don’t want anyone touching any signs regardless of party. Don’t do it.
Is that a message someone, anyone is prepared to share, encourage, and God help us, enforce? Feel free to help where you can.
Meadowstone Farm is located in Bethlehem, New Hampshire. Feel free to visit their website. Their contact information is at the bottom of their home page.
And don’t forget! That massive unconstitutional election law violation was ‘liked’ by the Littleton Co-op in the picture above. Their contact information can be found here. Ask them why they support and encourage illegal behavior.
