To the editor:

This morning I made an additional $50 online contribution to Bob McDonnells campaign for governor. It was the second such additional donation I have made to his campaign in the past two weeks much more than I had initially planned to donate. Bob McDonnell can thank the campaign workers of his political opponents for my extra largess.

You see, someone has been stealing standard issue campaign signs promoting McDonnells candidacy out of my yard. This past weekend was the second time a sign has disappeared.

Now, I am not going to bother our local police officers and file an official report of the theft. They have much more important things to do protecting the citizens of Alexandria, and it would only waste local taxpayer dollars. Instead, each time a sign has gone missing from my yard, I get in my greenhouse gas-emitting car and drive to McDonnell campaign headquarters to pick up a new sign. Then I go to my computer and donate another $50 to pay for the sign and help Bob McDonnell become the next governor of Virginia.

I have always been a proud supporter of minority conservative viewpoints in Alexandria. This year, I watched while operatives in the ruling Democratic party attempted to smear and debase the character of Independent candidate Alicia Hughes after her legitimate win in the May City Council election, and I watched a Democrat-controlled lame duck Council, despite widespread public opposition, move future city elections to a November calendar date to compensate for their inability to get out the vote for their slate of candidates. Tom DeLay would be justifiably proud of that august group of defeated politicians employing tactics from his political playbook.

These actions, combined with the repeated theft of standard issue campaign signs from my yard, have made me believe that those in Alexandria who advocate public acceptance of liberal progressive viewpoints would forcefully exclude expressions of divergent conservative opinion. I understand their rejection of my political beliefs just as much as I reject theirs, but that does not give them the right to stifle support of legitimate candidates on private property. Regardless of how much I disagree with their viewpoints, I would not limit their liberty and freedom by stealing campaign signs out of their yard; I expect the same courtesy.

Between now and the election I foresee many additional campaign contributions to Bob McDonnell should these thefts continue. The desperate actions of his political opponents who engage in midnight raids on private property exhibit a complete lack of faith in their candidates ability to win the hearts and minds of the electorate in November. Thankfully, Virginia does not embrace limiting campaign contributions, and my checkbook is wide open to make additional unplanned donations.

John Henry Loomis
Alexandria