[Vision2020] [Corrected Link] Election Postcard Case Continues

[Joe Campbell]

"The postcard itself was so serious and damaging that we pretty much had to drop everything and address it directly or people would have believed it," Bouma said.

This is funny! He dealt with it by pulling out of the KRFP debate, where he would have gotten plenty of questions on the matter and could have cleared up a lot of things.

I hope law enforcement is taking the time to check and see whether or not Bouma was behind this. It certainly was a nice way to avoid dealing with his Pastor's bigotry, putting the prejudice on the other foot.

On Dec 6, 2010, at 6:42 AM, "Tom Hansen" <thansen at moscow.com> wrote:

> Courtesy of today's (December 6, 2010) Moscow-Pullman Daily News.
> 
> ---------------------------------------------------------
> 
> Election postcard case continues
> More than 150 cards sent to Idaho forensics lab
> 
> By [author]Christina Lords[/author] [org]Daily News Staff Writer[/org]
> December 6, 2010
> 
> More than a month after Election Day, law enforcement continues to work on
> the case relating to an inflammatory political postcard about an Idaho
> Senate candidate sent out to potentially hundreds of Latah County
> residents just days before voters were to go to the polls.
> 
> The postcard, which depicted Gresham Bouma, Republican candidate for Idaho
> Senate in District 6, and mentioned several other candidates, was sent to
> residents Oct. 16.
> 
> The postcard stated voting for Bouma and Dave McGraw, the Republican
> candidate for Latah County Commissioner District 3, was "not enough."
> 
> The postcard stated "You are not a true Christian and you are on the path
> to hell," and states voters should be "true believers" or be "struck
> down."
> 
> "The postcard itself was so serious and damaging that we pretty much had
> to drop everything and address it directly or people would have believed
> it," Bouma said.
> 
> Lt. Brannon Jordan of the Latah County Sheriff's Office said county
> officials received about 150 of the postcards and each of those cards have
> been sent to the Idaho state forensics lab to be individually processed
> for fingerprint and other evidence.
> 
> "We still don't have a suspect, but we are still actively working on it,"
> he said. "We're in active contact with the postal inspector ... we don't
> want to let this go."
> 
> Bouma has denied the postcard originated from his campaign, and organizers
> and candidates from both sides of the political aisle condemned the act.
> 
> Bouma said the postcard may have affected the outcome of the election
> because the incident cost him valuable campaigning time right before
> voters went to the polls.
> 
> "After reflecting on it, I think it obviously took us off of our message
> for about five days and just weeks before the election," he said. "We
> definitely had some fires to put out. We had a policy to stay positive in
> our message ... and that got us off of our message."
> 
> A $1,000 reward fund from the Bouma campaign is still available for anyone
> with information on the creator or creators of the postcard, Bouma said.
> 
> Additional money was offered by Moscow Cares and donations from other
> various community members. The Postcard Hoax Information Reward Fund has
> three directors: Latah County Democratic Party Chairman Dave Nelson, Latah
> County Republican Chairman Walter Steed and Tom Hansen of the Moscow Cares
> website.
> 
> "The way the reward was set up was at the judgement of the sheriff," Steed
> said. "If there were no leads by Dec. 1, that money would be refunded to
> donors."
> 
> The money has not yet been refunded because the parties are still waiting
> to see if any more information will surface, he said.
> 
> Steed said he was contacted by the Latah County Prosecuting Attorney's
> Office after the election to reassure the parties involved that officials
> are still pursuing leads in the case.
> 
> Bouma said the incident has not changed his mind about his decision for
> running for office, and he will not "lay down and roll over" when it comes
> to the issues he campaigned on during the election.
> 
> The creator or creators of the postcard need to be apprehended, he said.
> 
> "When these kind of tactics succeed ... only the people they tolerate will
> make office," Bouma said. "We just can't let them win."
> 
> Anyone with information on the case is encouraged to contact the sheriff's
> office at (208) 882-2216.
> 
> ---------------------------------------------------------
> 
> Crank up your speakers and . . .
> 
> Be a hero, Moscow.
> http://www.MoscowCares.com/Hero
> 
> Tom Hansen
> Moscow, Idaho
> 
> "The Pessimist complains about the wind, the Optimist expects it to change
> and the Realist adjusts his sails."
> 
> - Unknown
> 
> 
> 
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