A false flag operation is simply an action in which the perpetrator intends for the blame (or credit) to be placed on a different party. The term originally comes from the naval concept of flying another country’s flag to deceive and confuse other ships.
First, I have no idea who stole or damaged many YES on J lawn signs, but if you oppose Measure J, as I do, attacking many lawn signs is especially stupid. So, why would anyone do it?
Attacking any sign is ridiculous, but at least someone might have a twisted view about a large sign along a road such as the large NO on J sign attacked last week. They may think that damaging a road sign decreases advertising, but lawn signs are seen as personal. When you attack something personal you anger the owner, which might result in the owner becoming more determined to win, rather than less determined to win. In other words, it’s totally counterproductive.
No matter what you view on Measure J do you really think the members of the Farm Bureau or Cattleman are stupid? I don’t. Do the YES on J people really believe that thugs drove up from Texas to do it? San Francisco is a lot closer and we have seen these type of tactics before from the radical environmentalists.
If the attacks happened as described they were well planned and widespread and the attackers even went out of their way to anger the sign owners with pornographic graffiti. Who would do that? The initial reaction was 100 percent predictable and bad for NO on J; good for YES on J.
I don’t have any idea who did it, but the possibility of a false flag operation certainly can’t be ruled out.