Politics can get ugly, but how ugly is it when Kerry supporters pick on a three-year-old girl and her father at a rally?
Three-year-old Sophia Parlock cries while seated on the shoulders of her father, Phil Parlock, after having their Bush-Cheney sign torn up by Kerry-Edwards supporters on Thursday, Sept. 16, 2004, at the Tri-State Airport in Huntington, W.Va. Democratic vice presidential candidate John Edwards made a brief stop at the airport as he concluded his two-day bus tour to locations in West Virginia and Ohio. 
Just in case you were wondering what was going on in this picture, the lady behind the girl and her father, to the right, is still screaming at the little girl. They all look like they feel very powerful after harassing a defenseless child and her father. These folks must be part of the liberal peace movement.
Now, don't go telling me that little children holding Kerry/Edwards signs never show up at Bush rallies. Just a month ago, a four-year-old girl was at a rally for the President holding a sign that said, "My Grandfather lost his job, now it's your turn." No one harrassed the girl or her family there.
As it turns out, the President heard about what happened and saw some of the pictures and sent her another sign, autographed this time, with a note thanking her for her support and signed it, "To Sophia, Best wishes from me and Barney."
David Flanagan
Viewpointjournal.com
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Vic
Nice.
And the jerk on the left with the stupid look on his face is holding a piece of the sign as well. I'm sure he'll make a great father some day. In between beers.
I guess the dad should be thankful the crowd didn't beat the hell out of him AND his daughter.
Ya think there's a chance that little girl will *ever* be a Democrat now?
Vic
2 - RJ
Classy move by Kerry's supporters. I wonder if they called the little girl a "Nazi" as well?
3 - RJ
Also notice the little blonde lad with his FISTS CURLED, as if he is about to hit somebody...
4 - Tim Hall
Read this from Atrios before taking this story too seriously. Atrios has noticed the remarkable resemblance between the "union thug" and a member of Phil Parlock's family, with the implication that the whole thing was staged to discredit the Republicans.
Anyway, waving banners for the opposing candidate at a rally is the real world equivalent of posting trolls in usenet. Why don't you freepi get a life?
5 - Tim Hall
Oops. Stupid mistake in post. For "Republicans" read "Democrats" :)
6 - Vic
Tim, I agree with you that it wasn't the brightest idea to display a Bush banner during a Kerry rally, but I doubt it was staged. I can see the dad being clueless and bringing his daughter expecting nothing like this to happen, but I seriously doubt he would risk his daughter if the intent was to cause a disruption.
Funny that the only other instance of seen of something like this was on the Dennis Miller show (granted, he's on the Right) where they showed a video of a Dem punching out a Rep in a similar situation.
Vic
7 - bhw
The father is a moron for using his daughter to make a political statement. Really, why is he putting a political sign in a 3-year-old's hands, and then putting her on his shoulders so she would be seen by the world? Was it for her? Did she ask if she could attend the rally for Kerry to support *her* candidate? Is it really a smart parenting move to use your child to make *your* political protest?
What a jerk.
Now, that said, the people who tore the sign from her hands are jerks, too. But, once again, we see the actions of a few being assigned to the entire, national group of people who support Kerry.
I'm sure all you conservatives are just like that college Republican kid who kicked a woman who was on the ground at the RNC, aren't you?
8 - Hal Pawluk
David, could you provide a link to proof that:
It could be true, but Bush rallies are staged and by invitation only so it's highly unlikely. More likely is that it's right-wing smarm.
The only mention I could find online was an individual post in a forum but no substantiation in the media.
I'd appreciate it.
9 - bhw
Oh my, the Atrios link posted in comment #4 is a must-read. Turns out, the guy has a long history of going to Democratic rallies and then talking to the media about how he and his family were roughed up, had their signs torn up, etc.
At worst, he's a scammer. At best, he's a lousy father for bringing his daughter into such treacherous territory! Gee, however could he not have known this might not be a safe environment for her?
More bullshit by zealots in the US political arena.
10 - Vic
Bush rallies are staged and by invitation only
So Bush rallies are staged but everyone turns out for Kerry of their own free will because his supporters feel so strongly about him? I find that hard to believe.
Hal, do you have any information to back up that statement?
BTW, I agree that it was idiotic to bring a 3 year old to a rally of the opposition and put a sign in her hands.
Vic
11 - David Flanagan
Hal,
The only link I still have, though I read this originally in an online newspaper site, is this link to a pro-Kerry web page that mentions the incident:
http://www.collegeconfidential.com/cgi-bin/discus/show.cgi?68281/86665
BTW - Bush's Town Hall-style meetings, are invitation only, but most rallies are in open public places and many times, opposition supporters will show up. I think it's kind of tacky, but this is a free country.
Just a note on the picture above. Newspaper do report that the father also took his 8-year-old son and his 21-year-old son, so that could be the two people who are on either side of the father and his daughter. On that score, I don't know, so lets not jump to conclusions too quickly.
Various stories have circulated out there, but the guy with the baseball cap could just as easily have been trying to cheer his little sister up and keep some of the others in the picture, such as the screaming woman, at bay.
The overall fact is, we should ALL make room for descent. If taking our kids to rallies helps them to grow up with more excitement around and awareness of our elected officials, that is all to the good.
Thanks,
David
12 - Hal Pawluk
Vic, Bush does give most of his speeches at invitation-only rallies - and any else trying to get in, or who does manage to get in, is escorted out.
Kerry just holds come one, come all rallies.
It's in all the media - do your own research.
13 - Hal Pawluk
That link is useless as it is not even a story, but a comment by one of the posters there.
That has no credibility at all.
14 - bhw
The overall fact is, we should ALL make room for descent.
Not to mention dissent. Otherwise, we'll all be heading into the flames, if you know what I mean. ;-)
If taking our kids to rallies helps them to grow up with more excitement around and awareness of our elected officials, that is all to the good.
Taking a preschooler to a rally is one thing. Taking her to a rally and sticking a poster in her hand -- which she can't even read -- and turning her into your political protest mouthpiece, is quite another.
15 - bhw
ARGH. Look what I did to the italics. Sorry.
But I must continue.
On that score, I don't know, so lets not jump to conclusions too quickly.
I agree. Let's not.
Various stories have circulated out there, but the guy with the baseball cap could just as easily have been trying to cheer his little sister up
I agree. There is certainly some family resemblence there, particularly if you look at the family photo posted on the other site that exposed the family's history at these rallies.
and keep some of the others in the picture, such as the screaming woman, at bay.
Whoopsie! There you go jumping to conclusions again. First, I wouldn't say the woman looks like she's screaming. I'd say more like yelling or shouting, and there's a difference. Second, you have NO IDEA what she's saying or to whom. Maybe she yelling at the idiot father who put his daughter in that position. Or maybe she's telling the child not to worry about what happened. Why do you assume otherwise?
16 - Jim Carruthers
If they really wanted to make this picture (and you can always trust a picture, right?) more credible, they should have included an issue of "Studpuppy", and had the "thug" holding a bottle of imported spring water.
So a staged stunt, and a photo which has to rely on a partisan loon to tell us what is happening in it.
Y'know, you probably do deserve what you get.
17 - Vic
Here's hoping I just closed the italics tag correctly. :-)
Vic
18 - Vic
Guess not...
19 - boomcrashbaby
Maybe she's yelling 'down in front!' cuz they're inconsiderately blockin her view.
20 - Jim Carruthers
Obviously what's happening in this picture is the little girl just had an "accident" down sad-looking older man's back, then the mook is providing some absorbent material to aid the problem.
21 - RJ
"Maybe she yelling at the idiot father who put his daughter in that position."
I agree that placing children near Democrat activists can be very dangerous indeed...
"Or maybe she's telling the child not to worry about what happened."
I see. So she's attempting to calm the child by yelling
CALM DOWN LITTLE GIRL!!!
IT'LL BE ALRIGHT!!!
PLEASE STOP YOUR CRYING!!!
Riiiight...
22 - RJ
And it's interesting to note that the Left is blaming the father for DARING to take his child to a political rally, but not condemning whoever it was that RIPPED APART the sign the child was holding in her hands, therefore making her cry.
But blaming the victim is nothing new for the Left.
See: 9/11
23 - David Flanagan
Here is a another article on the incident. It adds a bit more information. Based on the article, the man in the picture with the piece of the sign in his hand is not Parlock's son but a member of a union. The controversy generated by this situation continues to spread.
David
24 - boomcrashbaby
RJ, based on that picture, the only verifiable proof on it, is the father who put his daughter in a volatile position, apparently according to links in the comments, on more than one occasion. Leave it to the Right to defend using children as your weapon and not make any comment on that.
Based on this picture, we can see a woman yell, but don't know what is happening based on a single snap shot. IF a person ripped a sign from a 3 year old, yes, that is sad, but common sense says the blame goes on an individual, not a political party, and I read the original washtimes link and it was all reported by the father, who of course, as later links point out, has an agenda to begin with.
25 - Hal Pawluk
For a fair and balanced view:
That's just a continuation of a Bush practice that the ACLU objected to last year:
Freedom or fascism? More details on this Wilsonian approach to protest at Everybody Loves George W. - Could This Be Why? 9/24/2003 [opens in new window].