This story was too good not to share. It’s from Bill McClellan’s column in the St. Louis Post Dispatch. I’m not sure how I missed it earlier this week, but fortunately, someone sent it to me.
Some people, perhaps many of us, keep Kerry bumper stickers on and Kerry signs out, despite the election loss, just to make a statement. Well, one St. Louisan, Joyce Nowak, who apparently started out as a Howard Dean supporter, is doing just that. She has kept her Kerry yard sign up.
How do I know she was a Howard Dean supporter? Because the sign is annoying one of her neighbors who sent her this letter (anonymously):
“I am writing to you as a neighbor with a proposition you may find of interest. Let me begin by saying I respect your freedom of speech and your political views. However, the presidential election is long since over and your candidate lost. Your political sign has become an eyesore, and while I realize you feel you’re making a statement by keeping it posted in your yard, I assure you it’s earned you more ridicule than respect.”
The letter-writer then outlined the proposal.
“Should you continue to display the signage, I have decided to use it as motivation. If it remains up, I will make a donation to the Republican National Committee. And each month it stays in your yard, I will send another donation to the Republican party. I suspect that such a donation would not be to your liking, and is at odds with whatever goal you may have had in mind when you decided to keep the sign up this long. I am fortunate enough to be able to give far in excess of the $175 you gave to Howard Dean’s campaign, and will give as long as necessary.”
Nowak ignored the anonymous letter and later received another letter (also anonymous).
“Per my previous letter, I have made my first donation to the Republican Party on your behalf. You may rest comfortably this holiday season knowing you have helped contribute to the election and re-election of Republican candidates and the advancement of the Republican agenda.”
THEN, she receives a letter from the state GOP:
“Thank you very much for your contribution. Every dollar is important!” He had jotted this message on the letter he had received from Nowak. That is, the letter he thought he had received from Nowak. That letter had requested “a simple letter acknowledging my contribution (you don’t have to say the amount. I apologize for it being so small.)”
Let’s let McClellan finish the story:
It happens to be illegal to make a political contribution in somebody else’s name. We are, after all, supposed to be able to learn who gave how much to whom. Such transparency is supposed to keep the system relatively honest.
So Nowak got on the phone and called Peerson. He was very nice. He passed Nowak along to another official, who was also nice, and who said that the party did not want anything to do with an illegal contribution. The official then sent the contribution back to Nowak. It was a money order and the purchaser was listed as Nowak. It was for $10.
The sign is still in the yard.
