I wanted to share something with our readers about extremist views and how they manifest themselves in everyday life.
And I don’t want to appear to be picking on Nick Popaditch – the recently defeated Tea Party candidate who lost to Bob Filner in the 51st Congressional District. Just because he and his supporters engaged in some anti-Semitic shoving and violence at Election Central the other night does not mean that Popaditch himself is against nature.
But what I’m talking about is this:
We ran a post about a huge, beautiful Torrey Pines tree on Long Branch Avenue in Ocean Beach that may appear to be readied by the City of San Diego to be cut down.
So what happened?
Well, a Popaditch supporter came onto our website, made a comment in support of the tea bagger, and against Filner. Okay, no big deal. This happens.
But then, the same person – who shall remain nameless – went to the post about the Torrey Pines tree, and left a comment there also.
Here is the anti-Filner comment:
If he [Filner] hadn’t lied through his teeth ,he wouldn’t have provoked that reaction
And here is the same person’s comment on the tree post:
Leans a little? ANd I suppose we’re at full employment and don’t need any more jobs, either?
Cut the damn tree down!
And then also left this:
Not to mention, it’s broken up the curb, lifted the sidewalk , roots are probably in the sewer/ lifting up the slab of the nearby house, and if it falls over will probably nail a house across the street and cars parked under it.
So, this person – who apparently does have extremist views, also wants to circumvent San Diego municipal law (ti’s against the law to cut down or damage Torrey Pines trees) and wants just to “cut the damn tree down!”
I see this as an example of how extreme views – views that support the Tea Party and a candidate (Popaditch) who has white-supremacist backers – are manifested. Just cut the damn tree down. The hell with nature. The hell with Jews. The hell with the electoral process, just cut the damn tree down.
Okay, this is not a huge deal. This person is just one. Just wanted to share.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Yeah, maybe you are making too big a deal about this. Just because this un-named commenter on one hand, wants to blame the victim (Filner) for the violence, and on the other, wants to blame the tree, doesn’t necessarily mean he (do we know if it is a “he”?) is really a knuckle-dragger. I think that’s making an assumption – a wee one that’s true – but one nevertheless. He really could be the next Einstein. Look at all the Nazi scientists that flocked to this country after the last great war, got jobs, and made rockets for us.
A couple points, Molly, in response. First, Einstein was a socialist and escaped from Nazi Germany. Second, even Hitler liked nature, and there was a program of the Nazis to ‘save the fatherland for the aryans’. Third, I think you’re being facetious, anyway.
He’s probably right in all points – the tree damages the sidewalk, and poses a threat to sewer lines and nearby houses. Trees do that. The point is that we, as a community, have decided to accept those risks and inconveniences in order to bring a little nature in to coexist with our urban landscape. Should we ban all trees because they sometimes fight back against human intrusion?
Heck, a tree leveled my apartment a couple years before I moved in – neighbors still come up to me and ask if I was living here when it happened. I wasn’t, but knowing my landlord the insurance money is probably the only thing that would’ve motivated him to fix up the place.
ME THINKS A MOST BEATIFUL SIGHT TO SEE, IS A TEABAGGER PICKING A FIGHT W/ A TREE! Good luck wit ‘dat bruddah!- E-Mailydik & Son