Highway Bandits Strike Maine's Loony Governor

http://counterpunch.org/reichard06062011.html

In a move worthy of Abbie Hoffman, someone stole an "Open for Business" sign that Maine's controversial right-wing Governor Paul LePage had placed on the Maine Turnpike near the primary highway entrance to the state, and days later another unknown soul offered to trade the sign for a mural depicting Maine's labor history that LePage had previously removed from the state Department of Labor in an act that drew national attention.

The much-ballyhooed Open for Business highway sign went missing before Memorial Day and has yet to be found. But on June 2 an ad appeared on Craigslist offering to sell a "right-wing political sign" for $1,000 or trade it for "a multi-panel mural depicting the labor movement," a clear reference to the Labor Department mural removed by LePage.

A "ransom note" for the highway sign was also found taped to the door of WKIT/WZON, two Bangor radio stations owned by Stephen King, an erstwhile Bangor resident. In classic ransom note style the message was written with letters from newspapers and magazines that had been cut out and glued to a sheet of paper.

Maine state police say they are investigating the missing Open for Business sign, and they claim to have several leads. But they're not buying the Craigslist ad or the ransom note. "We suspect that the note left at the radio station and the listing on Craigslist are bogus," state police spokesman Stephen McCausland said.

More at the link --