Monday, January 23, 2012
Arkansas Politics 3rd District campaigner's cat killed
Posted by Max Brantley on Mon, Jan 23, 2012 at 7:59 AM
The Blue Arkansas blog reports that Jake Burris, campaign manager for 3rd District Democratic ccongressional candidate Ken Aden, returned to his Russellville home to find the family cat killed and painted with the word "liberal."
UPDATE: The killing has been reported to authorities. The Aden campaign has issued a statement in which he takes pain to say he does not believe the campaign of his opponent, Republican U.S. Rep. Steve Womack, had anything to do with it.
KEN ADEN NEWS RELEASE
RUSSELLVILLE—On the heels of a weekend of positive news coverage for the campaign of Democratic Congressional candidate Ken Aden, Aden's campaign manager returned home to find his family pet slaughtered, with the word "liberal" painted on the animal's corpse.
The Russellville Police Department is investigating, and a report will be made to the Federal Bureau of Investigation Monday morning.
Jacob Burris, who has served as Aden's campaign manager since late October, arrived home with his family Sunday evening, and his four children discovered the gruesome scene as they exited the family vehicle to enter their home.
The family pet, an adult, mixed-breed Siamese cat, had one side of its head bashed in to the point the cat's eyeball was barely hanging from its socket. The perpetrators scrawled "liberal" across the cat's body and left it on the doorstep of Burris' house.
"To kill a child's pet is just unconscionable," Aden said Monday morning. "As a former combat soldier, I've seen the best of humanity and the worst of humanity. Whoever did this is definitely part of the worst of humanity," he said.
"It is one thing to engage in civil political discourse, and for Republicans and Democrats to disagree with each other, which is an expected part of the political process. Taking it to this level is beyond unacceptable," Aden said.
While the campaign between Aden and incumbent Congressman Steve Womack has heated up in recent months, Aden said they did not believe the Womack campaign to be responsible. "Although we have certainly disagreed and engaged in a great deal of civil discourse, I do not believe in any way that Congressman Womack or his campaign had anything to do with this incident," Aden said. He noted that, before Christmas, KRUM Radio, a station owned by Womack's father, actually promoted a toy drive held by Aden's campaign for children in the Third District. "We suspect this is the action of a rogue individual or group of individuals who are the type of folks that stoop to the lowest common denominator instead of engaging in civil political discourse," Aden said. "It is unfortunate this has occurred, and we will await the results of the police and federal investigations," Aden said.
Speaking of 3rd District Congress, Ken Aden
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Comments (72)
Showing 1-50 of 72
Womack had better denounce this psychopathic style of political hatred and soon. Please provide an address for donations to Aden's campaign.
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Here you go Jake:
https://secure.actblue.com/contribute/page…
I dunno if I'm buying this story. Jake is the only source. Is there any proof this really happened?
Thanks scrapper, you beat me to it.
The picture and story brought me to tears. My two four-legged friends are family members. They bring such joy to my life.
I hope they catch the evil person who did this.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhR36gV6vW4
I tried spraypainting that on my cat last night and could only get to the B before I ran out of cat.
This could be a set up to frame Womack it's so stupid. But killing a cat is actually serious so let's get the PETA folks in for an investigation - they will find out the truth like no other investigative outfit. Bunch of folks will be lookin real stupid if that happens.
Just another example of the psychopathic mentality that has taken over the republican party.
Tortie and Reaper. How typical of righties to make comments like yours.
I guess spray paint is better than a gun that holds 31 rounds so as to better shoot to kill an Arizona Congresswoman and those around her.
I guess spray paint is better than a gun that holds 31 rounds so as to better shoot to kill an Arizona Democratic Congresswoman and those around her.
Fixed.
Conspiracy theorists! Sure, liberal Democrats killed that cat and spray-painted his corpose just like the CIA was behind the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
I do not for a minute think Womack would condone or approve this. However, this is typical behavior in much of his base. I did not hear one Republican on the stage of the South Carolina debate or republican leaders anywhere else condemn the crowd for booing the Golden Rule when it was invoked by Ron Paul.
Maybe they don't go around killing children's pets, but they express their hate in other ways and NO ONE EVER reins them in. I don't think I would be too proud if the only way I could get elected is to pander to people like this.
I grew up not understanding how the German people could allow Hitler and his thugs to take over their country. I think I'm beginning to understand how it can happen.
Reaper: If you don't believe it, check out the photo: http://bluearkansasblog.com/?p=8417
Sanford Marker: Where did you get the idea the person who killed a child's pet used spray paint? Maybe you should check out the photo, too -- but FYI, the blog post states: "Written across the animal’s fur in black marker was the word 'LIBERAL'."
"However, this is typical behavior in much of his base."
Really outlier? You really think a cat killing and spray painting is "typical behavior" by those that support Womack? I don't like the guy, but come on.
And cecil, this is not Nazi Germany. Millions aren't being led the gas chamber. It's one nut who killed one cat. Get some perspective.
Same advice to you HardHeadedWoman. It's not typical, it's not an example of some mass sick mentality by a party whose policies you oppose, it's just one sick f*ck who killed a cat.
If it was just the cat having been killed, nothing more could be drawn from this. Because the word "liberal" was left on the cat then the motives are political.
This was meant to intimidate and harrass. It doesn't matter if it was a Womack supporter or not. I think Womack would be wise to denounce this action.
Womak and his campaign should not be held responsible for the actions of one loonie.
Every year there is a "scandle" where one candidate's signs are stolen, then the other's stolen, then back to the first.
We can all agree it is one sick puppy that kills and other's pets. Protesters screaming and disrupting town hall meetings or camping in parks and turning ball fields to mud pits is one thing.
Shooting congress women, bashing cat heads, sending letter bombs or mailing anthrax are simply loonies that have found a cause they can blame their sick actions on.
I sure don't care for Womak or his positions but I have no reason to believe cat bashing would be authorized.
"I am Steve Womack and I authorize these actions" Doubt that big time.
Unfortunately, this is not a rare incident these days. We are seeing the rise of these type of actions all across the nation. Maybe a "broader perspective" would help those who see this as a single event.
Oh, really, scrapper? Have you not been listening to the crowds at all these republican debates? Do you not hear what these blood-thirty crowds are cheering for and booing against? Have you not heard the threats of violence? Threats of so-called "Second Amendment remedies"? Who is it that's getting their heads stomped at political rallies? Certainly NOT the conservatives, repubs or teabaggers.
Who do you think are making all the threats against Obama? These so-called 'good christians' who pray to make his wife a widow and his children orphans. These redneck gun nuts who can't stand the fact that a black man sits in the Oval Office. Fox News and talk show hosts who every day fuel the fires of hatred in their simple-minded listeners. Nor is it just the uneducated and ignorant element of the republican base who act this way. I've stood in groups of 'well-respected' civic leaders and 'social elites' and heard some of the most despicable statements come out of their mouths.
And it's not restricted to just the ignorant statements and actions of a few, but also includes the overall policies supported by the republican base and its leadership which only further harms women, children, the poor, the elderly. Conservatives without conscience, indeed.
So no, I don't just see this as some isolated incident with some sick fuck who killed a cat. It is exactly what I said....just ANOTHER example of the psychopathic mentality that has taken over the republican party.
My heart goes out to Jake and his family. Not only is he my campaign manager but best friend as well. These actions are horrible, but we are going to stay above the fray and show people that not everyone involved in politics is bad. www.aden4arkansas.com
With Humble Regards
Ken Aden
479 857 2124
Knowing how well the Russellville police investigate the murders of beauty pageant winners, I am sure, nay CERTAIN, that they will catch the culprits in a jiffy. YMMV depending on the political bias and liking of cats by the public servants involved in the actual investigation.
Arden - What kind of back handed accusation is that? This IS starting to sound like a set up.
Read carefully, Scrapper. I said this is typical of MUCH of his base. There is an element in the Republican party and they can't win elections without them. It is a result of the Southern Strategy compounded by the likes of Lee Atwater and other Repub operatives. Newt is a prime example going back years. They have created an environment in which the loony tunes kill someone's pet or worse, shoot Gabby Giffords and others. HHW said it better. Their chickens are coming home to roost and they can no longer control the monster they have created.
This is my pup. There's about 80 pounds more of him now.
RIP, Burris kitty.
I just had a long discussion with Ken Aden about this. While he took the high road on the matter, I definitely did not. Actually, when I first read the story, my initial instinct was to wonder if David Huckabee had been in town this weekend.
I have spoken with two people who have forwarded the story on to the national news media. I am hopeful one or all of the outlets will pick up the story, which will then put more pressure on the Russellville police to be vigilant in solving this crime.
Outlier and HHW described the situation well. When you belong to a group – ANY group – that is full of hate and anger and promotes violence “between the lines” , this is the end result. We have seen this in the angry outbursts in Town Halls and the unprecedented yelling of “YOU LIE” as the President was trying to speak, and the shooting of Gabby Giffords and others. There hasn’t been a lot of Republican party leadership coming forward and saying in loud emphatic words to “STOP IT NOW”. Someone needs to step forward and be the adult over all of this childish acting out. This is not a view of America we should be proud of, and the whole world is watching.
As HHW said, I too have heard some of the most despicable things said in private by otherwise upstanding respectable community and business leaders. It takes a lot of energy of emote so much hate. I can’t possibly imagine what sort of hate it took to kill these children’s pet, then to desecrate the body.
I don’t believe Womack ordered the killing of the pet, and I want to believe he had nothing whatsoever to do with it. That being said, I also expect him to come out and publically denounce the act in the strongest language possible, and I consider anything less from him unacceptable. To do nothing will convince me that the Womack team is privately having a good chuckle at the creativity of the violent act.
This killing says a lot about the person who did it and I am disturbed that such a deranged person is walking free on the streets 30 miles from me. I can’t possibly imagine any sane person with a pet or a child being able to do this. But somewhere out there is a person who thinks this is very cool and probably has a support system that is reinforcing him/her.
I guess spray paint is better than a gun that holds 34 rounds (33 in the magazine 1 in the chamber) so as to better shoot to kill an Arizona Democratic Congresswoman and those around her.
Fixed.
I tested the story by using spray paint on my cat (a live cat, to be sure) because that was what I inferred from the AT wording (above) "...painted...". I now realize this does not necessarily mean spray painted. Being that I am named after the Sharpie Permanent Marker, this has been a doubly embarrassing CSI faux pax. And if it turns out the perpetrator used a Sanford Marker (TM) for the cat murder, I will be the first to bring a defamation lawsuit upon his or her person.
Scrapper 72,
From the comments of the website showing the carcass of the cat CS listed.
". . . • Bailey_M says:
January 23, 2012 at 12:42 pm
Is there any real evidence that Kermit Womack has given out the names and numbers of Aden’s campaign staff on his radio show? Is there any record of this or is this an accusation by a nameless blogger? . . .
. . . • ozark60 says:
January 23, 2012 at 2:22 pm
yes Bailey (if that is your name) the evidence is that both my wife and i heard it on the radio . . . they gave out my name,address and even spelled my name with an admonition to ‘watch my back’…this has also happened to other people who write letters critical of womack by his father on the air..with the same phrase ‘watch your back’ being used…if thats not enough to convince you that something odd is going on…oh well! . . ."
No, scrapper 72, not marching people to gas chambers . . . yet, but organized incitement of violence against those supporting political belief opposed to your or your family's position? Sound very much like the Goebbels and the Sturmabteilung (aka Brownshirts) S.A. of the National Socialist German Workers' Party (aka Nazi Party) to me, but then I'm an independent moderate.
But, Citizen1, staying silent is in effect condoning the terrorist act. Womack should condemn the action publicly . . . I suspect he will just ignore it.
Mountaingirl - Take a breath. There is no secret society in the Republican party that supports or promotes violence. There is no support system reinforcing the killing of cats. Jared Loungher is a registered Independent.
The kind of hate speech that gets spewed in this comment section by Liberals is rare in Republican circles.
There was no violence at Tea Party rallies, except that which was caused by the Union thugs that were shipped in by the SEIU. Look at the OWS movement if you want to see some violence.
Come on people, I suspect no one here thinks Steve Womack was involved.
So Steve Womak should not have to comment, but he can.
"We are seeing the rise of these types of actions"
I say we aren't seeing a rise, just the internet causing more awareness.
People think that there is a rise in Natalie Hollowells being abducted but it is really just a rise in the reporting.
Only one Natatlie Holllowell was abducted we have been made aware of it by that buckethairdo woman Nancy Grace for two years every night.
To my knowledge, this is the only cat of a congressional candidate's campaign manager that I have heard of being killed and liberal written on it.
I guess it is an increase, (from zero occurances, to 1 occurance)
Come on people, I suspect no one here thinks Steve Womack was involved.
So Steve Womak should not have to comment, but he can.
"We are seeing the rise of these types of actions"
I say we aren't seeing a rise, just the internet causing more awareness.
People think that there is a rise in Natalie Hollowells being abducted but it is really just a rise in the reporting.
Only one Natatlie Holllowell was abducted we have been made aware of it by that buckethairdo woman Nancy Grace for two years every night.
To my knowledge, this is the only cat of a congressional candidate's campaign manager that I have heard of being killed and liberal written on it.
I guess it is an increase, (from zero occurances, to 1 occurance)
"Look at the OWS movement if you want to see some violence" Lt. Pike. Need I say more?
All sides of the political ideology conflict have talked about not understanding how the National Socialist German Workers' Party rose to power in Germany and how its leader and his acolytes' murderous death camp system was built in a country of sane people.
It happens when the citizens forget that they are the government and not isolated bystanders. Whenever you see a crime or wrong and stand silent or aver your sight and past on by silently, you become an accessory to the wrong and to the crime.
Is dangerous? Yes, but that is what Jefferson wrote about to William Stephens Smith four years after the U.S. won it's liberty and while its future was still in serious doubt.
. . . The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is its natural manure. . . ."
Thomas Jefferson to William Stephens Smith in 1787
Those who float along, detached, ignoring abuses and wrongs or just go along and condone abuses or wrongs by their candidates, leaders and idols are destined to end up situations like pre- and war II-time Germany. Those actions are the real dangers to American Family and individuals values not the trumped up incitements of conservative ideologues and candidates.
So ignore or shrug off/condone crimes or wrongs at your own peril. You have that right, but in doing so you give up your right to complain when your actions come back to bite you.
Well citizen, there were those dead Unitarian's in Tennessee, the dead cop in Philadelphia, etc. etc. etc. It's not about killing cats. The cat is just one more manifestation of the loons being egged on by ugly and inciting rhetoric. And I'm not talking about someone calling someone else a dipshit on a blog. That doesn't qualify as hate speech. If you can't see what has been happening in the last 30 or 40 years, you aren't paying attention.
Bluefriction
The kind of hate speech that gets spewed in this comment section by Liberals is rare in Republican circles.
Talk to your Doctor about your meds-- you are delusional. Typical conservative political terrorism.
When actually shooting Democratic politicians in the head takes too long to force them out of office, the GOP is moving up to pre-emptive strikes in an attempt to drive Democratic candidates out of the race before the election. They really are getting desperate.
Two types of humans that I have no use for are people who molest/abuse children or wantonly kill/torture helpless, trusting animals.
And yes, it's highly unlikely that Womack knew of or condones this senseless act of cowardice. Would love to see this worthless example of an human brought to light for the appropriate justice. And no, it does not involve violence.
Citizen1, increase from 1 to 2 is an 100% increase, but increase from zero to one is much more.
When finding the percent increase, we take the absolute value of the difference and divide it by the original value. The resulting decimal is then converted to a percent by multiplying by 100.
i.e. 2-1=1; 1/1=1.00; 1.00X100=100% but from zero to one
1-0=1; 1/0=undefined, Oops! However, by using progressively smaller original numbers we can approximate the increase.
1-0.01=.99; .99/.01=99; 99x100=9,900%
1-0.001=.999; .999/.001=999; 999x100=99,900%
1-0.0001=.9999; .9999/0.0001= 9,999; 9,999x100= 999,900%
You're intelligent, you can see where this is leading. An increase from 0 to 1 is a positive infinite increase. Not an inconsequential change as you intimate in your post.
But don't take my word for it, here a fairly complete discussion of division by zero.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Division_by_z…
Glad to see you're onto the parallels too, Dott. Voices on these threads have been pointing this out for one to two years, now -- to the usual derisions and dismissals. Keep spreading the word every chance you get. Because this is EXACTLY how Nazi Germany arose.
Let's see. Seven hours, so far, since this was posted on the A-T blog this morning and STILL no disavowal (so far) from Mr. Womack?
Actions (and their lack) speak louder than you know what, Razorbabies.
DELAYED actions just serve to make one wonder, "Why the delay?"
I'm sorry but I'm not buying this story at all. Last month there were dozens of similar fake photos of animal abuse and torture being posted on Facebook and the moment I saw this picture that's exactly what came to mind.
“I do not believe in any way that Congressman Womack or his campaign had anything to do with this incident," Aden said.
Aden sounds like a good, sensible, level-headed Democrat to me. And I applaud him for taking the high road. Now, at 3:20 p.m., I'm like mountaingirl: I’m waiting for Womack to denounce this despicable, cruel, and cowardly act. He should have done it hours ago.
Blue: of COURSE there is no (visible) ORGANIZATION or "secret society" (I highlight VISIBLE), but you're self-deceptive if you actually BELIEVE "The kind of hate speech that gets spewed in this comment section by Liberals is rare in Republican circles."
I invite you to check out Boner's or the RNC pages on Facebook - I've engaged in PLENTY of trash-talking here - PALES by comparison of what routinely appears there - ROUTINELY. It's frankly scary, particularly when shizz like this happens!
AND if you go back to some of Womack's previous squabbles as Sheriff, recall some of his quotes, it is NO SURPRISE that he has not denounced this and likely won't in anything other than pablum-language. You are defined by who you hang with...
Okay, I'm pretty sure I understand Dott's explication of "positive infinite increase," though I'll have to peruse his post later in the Jacuzzi with candles and incense.
Off the cuff, though, doesn't it all basically mean "jumped the shark?"
Isn't this another instance of that?
P.S. FYI, my Razorbabies, NOBODY wants to be haunted by a dead or tortured cat. Trust me. Horrible, HORRIBLE events befall those responsible. Forget nine lives: entire family lines have been cursed in myriad miserable ways across millennia for fucking over Fluffy.
(Slaughtering for dinner in certain cultures doesn't count.)
Abused and murdered dogs, for the most part true to their canine natures, are another story and eventually lose interest in Vengeance from Beyond, preferring to chase dead squirrels or ghost-tossed Frisbees or whatever. But killed kitties never let up. Prayer is powerless.
There's a reason Bastet was worshipped in ancient Egypt . . . .
As a Bates, I'm not kidding.
He who has ears to hear, you've NO IDEA what you've unleashed.
In a nice way, I mean this.
"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." (Edmund Burke)
I hate Rush Limbaugh for starting the trash talking that's common today. But I never feared Rush, he's too fat and lazy to get out of his chair and hurt someone. But it's his glassy-eyed followers that have always worried me. Womack didn't kill no kitty, but you can bet one of his followers sliced & diced the cat and then wrote Liberal on the dead body. Isn't that scary enough?
All the years the Womack Hate Radio stations has filled the NWA airwaves with hate....don't think that bred this cat killer? All the Homeland Security posturing Womack did as Mayor....don't think that emboldened his hate group? How do you think a guy who would yell at a 2 job working mother trying to get an education really feels about dead cats or liberals?
If Arkansas can regain its sanity, Womack will be a 1 term wonder and he knows it and his glassy-eyed followers know it too. Timmy Hutchinson just went away when he was defeated...but Timmy ain't Boss Womack. There's no telling what the 1%ers & Womack supporters will do to keep Womack in office.
He's climbin in your windows
He's snatchin your cats up
Tryna to kill em so y'all need to
Hide your kids, hide your wife
Hide your kids, hide your wife
Hide your kids, hide your wife
And hide your husband cuz they're killin every liberal out here
You don't have to come and confess
We're lookin for you
We gon find you, we gon find you
So you can run and tell that,
Run and tell that,
Run and tell that, homeboy
Home, home, homeboy
Tom Levenson frontpaged this over at Balloon Juice. Someone emailed the story to him. It wasn't me, but I applaud whoever did it.
http://www.balloon-juice.com/2012/01/23/bu…
Politico has it too.
http://www.politico.com/blogs/david-catane…
Womack's campaign:
"The thought of brutalizing any animal for the sake of making a political statement, no matter what that statement is, is beyond any standard of decency and the person or people who are responsible for this should be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law," said Beau Walker, Womack's campaign manager. "There should be no tolerance in this nation's political discussion for this kind of behavior."
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