XPost: bc.politics, van.general, vic.general   
   From: NØ-MØre-CØns@govt.ca   
      
   When the rightwing types fight, they fight dirty.  Still another  reason to   
   turf the HST -   
   along with the BC 'Liberals'.   
   ________________________________________   
   Published: July 08, 2011   
      
      
   HST opponents crying foul over sign-tampering   
      
   A partially altered Fight-HST sign was still spotted along the Island Highway   
   in Ladysmith on   
   Friday. Original signs read: Vote Yes to Extinguish the HST.   
      
      
   The debate on whether to accept or extinguish the harmonized sales tax took a   
   step toward dirty   
   politics this week.   
   Three ‘Vote YES Extinguish the HST’ signs in Ladysmith, one in Nanaimo and one   
   in Campbell River   
   were  altered to read ‘Vote No Extinguish the PST’.   
      
   Terry Hand, FightHST mid-Island regional coordinator, said someone went to a   
   lot of trouble to   
   sabotage the signs.   
      
   “They made sure they had the correct size of decal to fit over the ‘Yes’, they   
   matched up the   
   colour and the font and then replaced the ‘H’ in HST with a ‘P’ and also   
   replaced the ‘H’ in   
   FightHST.com with a ‘P’,” he said. “Apparently there is a site called   
   FightPST.com and we’re   
   trying to find out who owns that. Whether it’s related or not, we don’t have   
   any evidence of   
   that.”   
      
   FightHST volunteers in Ladysmith discovered three signs last week, took the   
   tape off two of   
   them, returned them to service and gave the remaining one to RCMP.   
      
   Another altered sign was found on Nicol Street in Nanaimo. Hand took it to the   
   RCMP detachment   
   and filed a complaint.   
   “It falls under mischief and the police seemed to take it seriously,” he said.   
   “They did do a   
   couple of interviews, but unless they catch someone in the act, there’s not   
   much they can do.   
   The signs have been handled by many, many people along the way.”   
      
   A fifth altered sign in Campbell River makes Hand think it might be more than   
   an isolated   
   incident.   
      
   “The intent behind it is obvious and it’s the intent that is the real worrying   
   part,” he said.   
   “If it had been just Nanaimo, it could have been somebody local not happy with   
   our message. But   
   it happening in Campbell River as well raises questions. I guess we won’t know   
   unless more show   
   up.”   
      
   Hand sent the Nanaimo sign to FightHST organizer Bill Vander Zalm in Vancouver   
   and volunteers   
   around the province were notified to be aware of the signs.   
      
   “We haven’t had any more reports and I hope we don’t. We don’t need this and   
   neither does the   
   public at this stage of the game,” said Hand.   
      
   Woody Hayes of the Smart Tax Alliance, which supports the HST, said everyone   
   is entitled to   
   their opinion, but the tactic of changing the signs is not condoned.   
      
   He said it would be easier for the alliance to put out its own ‘Vote No’ signs   
   than go to the   
   trouble of making changes to the ‘Yes’ sign, but it has avoided doing even   
   that.   
      
   “I think it’s some enthusiastic partisans who have gone out and done it,” he   
   said.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)