The most famous lawnsign in the world is right here in Portland.
Kari Chisholm
Around the world, several thousand people are staring at a lawn sign. More accurately, two lawn signs -- an Obama one and a Merkley one. And they're watching via webcam:
Here's the backstory, from the Wall Street Journal. (Yes, that Wall Street Journal):
Preston Fosback and his mother, Kristine, were shocked when their Obama sign was stolen one night in April from the front yard of their Portland, Ore., home.When they put up another one nine days ago, that, too, was swiped within hours. Undeterred, they made their own sign and put it up the next day.
But this time, 16-year-old Preston had a plan: He set up a video camera inside the house and trained it on the sign from behind a window. He figured he would catch the thief on film, should he return. He hooked up the camera to a Web site that provides live streaming. He wrote a few words on the site explaining its purpose.
And yes, the lawn signs in Portland have gone global:
Dozens of viewers now take shifts, based on their time zones, so as not to leave the sign unwatched at any time. Viewers in Europe take over for those turning in on the West Coast, who are in turn relieved by a dedicated crew of Australians. It's attracted more than 40,000 viewers and ranks among the top 10 most-watched videos on Ustream.tv.
There's more at the Huffington Post and the Oregonian. Oh, and t-shirts.
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10:44 a.m.
Sep 30, '08
What I like the most about this story is that it's a wonderful example of the very best kind of citizen activism.
The WSJ piece mentions how Preston stood up against dissing his schoolmates who support McCain rather than Obama. That is grace, courage and principle under fire if I've ever seen it.
Preston is doing Oregon very proud!
11:27 a.m.
Sep 30, '08
What a great idea! I wish I'd thought of it -- we're on our third Obama sign....
Sep 30, '08
I have been looking for any coverage of a similar but more disturbing problem, and yet not a peep about the 4x6 Obama sign that was covered with racist graffiti right across the street from Bridlemile Elementary School on Sunday morning. There was also a significant amount of Pro-McCain graffiti on the wall by the tennis courts in Hamilton park that same morning. We live in the neighborhood and were infuriated to see such hatred on display. Has anyone seen anything about that incident?
Sep 30, '08
I was on this site a few weeks ago and there were people from Ireland, Sri Lanka, and Azerbaijan watching the signs over night to make sure one took them.
The internet is an amazing thing.
Sep 30, '08
My question is this: Why would anyone be bored enough in thier life to choose/decide to steal a sign in the first place? We wouldn't have to go to extremes like this to keep lawn signs alone if people would just try to do something more constructive in thier bored life than pilfering a small lawn sign.
I just don't get it.
Sep 30, '08
This is an awesome story. Its fun and it sounds like it has become a great global water cooler to talk about all sorts of things.
jfwells- The Willy Week blog has some coverage of the incident.
1:14 p.m.
Sep 30, '08
Cool, lawnsigns on the webcam.
Now can we get some coverage of Oregon's reaction/participation in the financial crisis--like Peter DeFazio leading a group of top progressive House members in a strong plan to truly address the issue rather than throw money into Paulson's hole? They just finished laying it out in a press conference...nothing? DeFazio has been all over national news in the last 24 hrs, he and Blumenauer have released statements...nothing? Our Reps are front and center on the biggest issue on the globe right now, and the top story here is lawn signs.
Sep 30, '08
Torrid Joe said, "...our Reps are front and center on the biggest issue on the globe right now, and the top story here is lawn signs."
But this is a huge story. Don't you know that right there in the dirt in front of the place in the yard the original two Obama signs had been standing was scrawled the message...
"I LIKE TURTLES."
1:35 p.m.
Sep 30, '08
Link to Kos diaries and CSPAN video of DeFazio and Co saying some really great things, here...
2:00 p.m.
Sep 30, '08
Why is that every blog has to have someone complaining, "Don't write about that! I don't care about that! Write about this!" as if there was some limited amount of room on the innernets and irresponsible bloggers are using it all up.
Instead of dismissing a story, why not WRITE ONE?
2:13 p.m.
Sep 30, '08
"Instead of dismissing a story, why not WRITE ONE?"
I did. I linked to it. And there's a difference between generally complaining about "what else could you be covering," and a specific complaint about not covering an Oregon-related story that is receiving national attention, on a topic of global importance.
In my opinion.
Sep 30, '08
@Frank
Well played, sir.
Although actually I think that those words was burnt into their lawn. It's how we cull the true PDX-ers from the posers.
3:37 p.m.
Sep 30, '08
TJ wrote... They just finished laying it out in a press conference...nothing?
I don't know about my 30+ fellow contributors, but maybe some of us are just busy today? Christ, it's been three hours. Settle down. We're not liveblogging CNN around here 24/7. We usually cover the news within 24 hours. If that's not good enough for you, go hang out somewhere else.
Not all of us are interested in blogging while sitting on the shitter at work.
3:47 p.m.
Sep 30, '08
You had time to post this story this morning, it seems. You got the same advisory I did around this time, I'm sure.
3:49 p.m.
Sep 30, '08
Nope, wrote this one last night - but held it for around 12 hours, because we other things on the docket.
Anyway, our post is now up -- just 15 minutes after the Oregonian. God, you're a putz.
Sep 30, '08
torrid joe ... i have read many of your posts over the last couple months or so ... you are so incredibly sincere in your progressiveness ... this can not be denied.
now that being said, may i make a suggestion? get off the cross ... we need the firewood!
Oct 1, '08
I used to like TJ at Loaded Orygun, or maybe that was Carla's presence there that made it interesting. In the past few months he's become a total drag -- his posts seem bitter and vindictive, not to mention boring and lacking in any significant contribution. TJ, I seriously wonder if you are depressed. Whatever it is, I hope you will sort it out privately and stop acting it out in this forum. You used to be interesting and I hope you will come back to being a better presence here.
2:10 p.m.
Oct 1, '08
Lawn sign shortage is over, at least for now, at least in Portland.
The DPO has lawn signs, t-shirts, bumper stickers, affinity group (women, Latinos, veterans, Oregonians) buttons, those pretty homemade buttons, and rally (window) signs.
232 NE 9th Ave, open 10-7 (we'll close early for the Biden/Palin show tomorrow) Monday through Thursday, 10-5 on Friday, 12-4 on Saturday.
The campaign has also received lawn signs and they're available at their SE 30th and Division and NE 15th and Killingsworth offices.
Oct 1, '08
Jenny
Do you have any "Norwegian American's for Obama" buttons there?
1:36 p.m.
Oct 2, '08
Putz? I'm not the one who thinks it's a virtue to be "15 minutes after the Oregonian."
Bitter and vindictive, eh? Would the series on DeFazio's rescue plan be bitter, or vindictive? How about the story on the Obama effigy at Fox, or the Citizen's Initiative Review board? I'd be happy to address the full slate of recent posts by me, if you would like to point out the ones that are bitter, or vindictive, or bitter and vindictive. Or you can go back to making sure you're remaining fully informed on whether someone's lawnsign is still stuck in the ground, I guess. That must be more "interesting" than a major financial crisis, I suppose. Or you're satisfied with BlueO simply being Dems R Great! central, perhaps.
Oct 2, '08
This is positively awesome ... the community, the helping-each-other, the watching each other's back.
Really inspiring.
Why it is that some people aren't happy to see an Obama sign is just puzzling and despairing to me. These people have black hearts. They may well be proud of them.
Once again, liberals prove they are the better people.
Oct 9, '08
I just saw a squirrel.
<h2>charlie</h2>