Backlash, civil union style? 'Take Back Vermont' signs vandalized in South Barre By David W. Smith, Times Argus Staff SOUTH BARRE -- A small wave of sign vandalism swept Route 14 Wednesday. At least four "Take Back Vermont" signs along the road from South Barre to Williamstown were defaced with dark spray paint or knocked down after dark. The intentions of the act appears to be political as the word "Vermont" was crossed out on two of the signs with "your hate" painted in ints place. This touches on a perceived link the "Take Back Vermont" signs have with the civil union law. "It's a little frustrating," said Harold Putney of South Barre, owner of one of the damaged signs. "I don't go to their house and knock their stuff down." Putney, who first posted the sign on the lawn of a house of rental units he owns on Route 14 and Christie Street one month ago, said this was the second time his sign has been intentionally damaged. A few weeks ago, his sign was spray painted, but he cleaned the paint off with solvent. This time, the sign was knocked down and one of the wooden stakes holding up the corrugated plastic sign was torn out of th eground. It happened some time after he got home at 10 p.m. Wednesday night, Putney said. He has no idea who might have committed the act, although it might have been children. "I'm going to take it down now, and put it back up in October," said Putney, who tried removing the sign at night, but found this to be a hassle. Al Day, who owns a motorcycle repair shop in Williamstown, said his sign, which was marked with a spray-painted "X", was damaged by people who favor the civil unions law. It's a pity, he said, because the "Take Back Vermont" signs address one issue; the fact that people's voices aren't being heard in Montpelier, and civil unions and gay rights objections are only a part of that. Linking the signs directly to civil union opposition, he said, is a misunderstanding. "It has to do with the way our representatives are representing us," said Day. "They asked us on Town Meeting Day what our preferences were . . . and every town said we'd rather not be involved in it. The majority rules and you can't let your conscience get involved with it." "I don't really care about gays,' he added. "They've never done anything to me." Putney seemed to agree. "The legislators didn't really listen to us," said Putney. "They need to know that they need to do what we ask them to do." Passage of the civil union law was the issue that best characterized his frustration with the government. "That's the reason I put it up," said Putney. A Barre police dispatcher said they've received a few complaints about stolen signs, a common occurrence during the summer, but had no information about specific attacks on the "Take Back Vermont" signs.