Washington Trump supporter criticizes schools teaching political correctness

It’s not easy being a Donald Trump supporter in Western Washington.

A litany of vandalism has been reported in Whatcom County by residents who have posted Donald Trump signs on their property.

One of the victims, Mark Nelson, told KIRO Radio’s Dori Monson that he’s had 37 Donald Trump signs destroyed or damaged. Nelson, who is the chairperson for Trump’s campaign in Whatcom County, says more than 150 signs have been destroyed countywide. The Bellingham resident says some signs have been “eviscerated” with machetes while others have been shot with paintballs. One was even doused with gasoline and set ablaze.

“Anything that’s able to be left up, I leave up, so the voter can see how our opposition respects private property,” he said.

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The former junior college teacher believes the culprits are students who are being told that it’s OK to step on free speech.

“The lack of knowledge of basic, fundamental political theory among our students at the college level is extremely disheartening,” he said. “Our country is facing an absolute crisis in academia because they are being taught in college that if you hold an opinion contrary to political correctness, it should be stifled.”

Nelson says Trump supporters understand that they are not supposed to destroy or deface anything not belonging to them. That is not the case for Democratic supporters, he says.

“I think it’s the classic differential between the Bernie Sanders or Hillary Clinton campaigns and Trump’s — There is a respect for private property,” he said.

“If you don’t respect private property, if you believe that the redistribution of all property is your right at the point of a government gun, then you don’t have any respect for those that you’re going to redistribute the property from,” he added. “So here we sit with a private yard sign and our First Amendment, which I think trumps Trump. This has nothing to do with the Trump campaign. It has to do with my right as a citizen of this country to express my political belief legally on my own personal property. They are trespassing on my property, against my First Amendment rights and they do so because they believe it’s for a greater cause. And the fact is, they’re going to have the guns turned against them just as fast as they’re turning the guns against us now.”

Dori agrees with some of Nelson’s stances, including that Washington students who don’t support Democratic candidates are ridiculed and bullied by classmates and teachers.

“The school’s solution isn’t to punish the bullies but to tell the kids who are supporting Trump or (Libertarian) Gary Johnson or whoever, to stop showing your support,” Dori said. “This is something that is starting to be taught to people at the elementary school level.”

Nelson said he would continue putting up with the turmoil that comes with being a minority voice in the state.

“Failure to do so will be to accede to the enemy,” he said. “And the fact is if I cede to the socialists, we lose our constitution forever. And I think that price is just too much to pay for my many grandchildren and my children. I will not put up with it and I will not take the signs down in front of my house.”

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