[joanie-f]

Mike, today's addendum to yesterday's 'report'...

My husband and I drove down to Central Market (a wonderful market located in the center of Lancaster City, housed in a Romanesque revival style building, constructed in 1889 – and the oldest continuously-running, publicly owned market in America) and sought out David Stoltzfus's bakery stand. He wasn't hard to find.

We introduced ourselves and told him that we are familiar with the controversy that his photos of the President (and Mrs. Bush) have caused, and shook his hand. I told him that I participate in a conservative political internet forum, that his story had received notice there, and then handed him a folder containing a printout of this thread and all of the comments. He was deeply touched and extremely grateful.

Rick then told him that we had a large, framed copy of the President's official portrait in our car, which had been given to a friend who heads the agriculture department in Kansas, and that we (and our friend) would like him to have it. He stood there, somewhat stunned, and asked, 'You mean you want to give it to me?' When we assured him that we did, he became a little emotional and said, 'You're going to bring me to tears.'

Rick returned to the car and retrieved the portrait, and we presented it to him. He was far more appreciative that I had expected, and we were both deeply moved by his response.

David Stoltzfus's bakery stand, with the two photos of the President and Mrs. Bush,
and one official photo of the President alone, on display

Stoltzfus holding one of his photos
(with the larger one we presented to him leaning against his display case)

Mr. Stoltzfus is a humble, but well-spoken man, who runs his bakery business out of his home in Lititz (a town just outside of Lancaster). He bakes mostly for restaurants, but sells to the public three days a week at Central Market. His home-based business is doing so well that he will soon be opening up a bakery/delicatessen in Leola (another nearby town in the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch country).

He did not set out to create waves, but he intends to stand his ground on this important free-speech issue (Councilman Polite apparently has not yet given up his fight to have the photographs removed, despite the enormous and vocal public support that Stoltzfus is receiving).

Stoltzfus said that it was apparent that Polite was 'on a mission' when he showed up at the bakery stand last month. He gruffly informed Stoltzfus that he would have to remove the pictures of the President because they were 'offensive' and 'inappropriate' – to which Stoltzfus replied that he would not, because it amounted to a Constitutional freedom of speech issue. Councilman Polite informed him that the confrontation would not end there, and that the issue would be 'taken to a higher power' (no doubt referring to City Council itself).

In the perhaps twenty minutes that we spoke with him, four or five other people came up and inquired as to whether he was the man who was 'being harassed'. They all sought him out in order to offer their support, and Rick and I had excellent conversations with them as as well. To a man, they were well-informed, and strongly acknowledged the need to take an immovable stand on such issues at the local level.

Afterwards, we walked around the rest of the market and noticed that perhaps a full half of the other stands were proudly displaying pictures of the President. I strongly suspect that a good many of those pictures were hung after the Stoltzfus/Polite confrontation, as a show of solidarity.

Rick and I met a good example of hardy and steadfast 'middle America' yesterday, and we are extremely proud to have made his acquaintance.

~ joanie

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

Great report. Thanks for the ping. What a great guy he must be.

[RJL]

Thanks Joanie.

[506trooper]

You rock!

Thanks for the ping.

[FBD]

good job Joanie!
Thanks for the great pics, as well!

[NittanyLion]

Great work!

[lonevoice]

Thanks so much for the ping and for making the presentation of this FR thread to David Stoltzfus. Great job and great report!

[Welsh Rabbit]

Afterwards, we walked around the rest of the market and noticed that perhaps a full half of the other stands were proudly displaying pictures of the President.

Excellent! Thanks for the report.

[Jokelahoma]

Great job! It's good to let folks like this gentleman know they aren't fighting in a vacuum, and that there are still other people in this nation who haven't sold their souls and lost their ever-lovin' minds to the evil of leftism.

[snopercod]

Where's the airport closest to you. I want to fly up there and give you and Rick a big hug.

[NRA2BFree]

Thanks for the ping, and thanks for letting him know that there are a lot of people who are on his side. That guy who is crying about the picture of President Bush is a typical whiny *ss, liberal bed wetter. If they weren't crying about this, they'd be crying about something else. It's in their nature.

[CyberAnt]

What a great smile this guy has! Love it!

[Domestic Church]

Thanks from Solanco!

[R. Scott]

His home-based business is doing so well that he will soon be opening up a bakery/delicatessen in Leola (another nearby town in the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch country).

This is very good to hear, as is:

Afterwards, we walked around the rest of the market and noticed that perhaps a full half of the other stands were proudly displaying pictures of the President. I strongly suspect that a good many of those pictures were hung after the Stoltzfus/Polite confrontation, as a show of solidarity.

[Badray]

Thanks for the ping and for taking the time to let this man know of the support that he has.

I've been saying for a long time that liberals are not just the opposition, they are the enemies of freedom. This is a prime example.

[JustaCowgirl]

Thanks for the ping and great report. The people in Dutch country in central Pennsylvania are definitely salt of the earth kinds of people.

Mr. Stoltzfus sounds like a really nice fellow, and so do all the other people who are putting up pictures of the President to show solidarity.

[Echo Talon]

Thanks for the ping :)

[RandallFlagg]

Thanks for the ping.

[ForGod'sSake]

Rick and I met a good example of hardy and steadfast 'middle America' yesterday, and we are extremely proud to have made his acquaintance.

From the set of his jaw I'd agree, and truth be known, HE can say the same. Takin' it to the streets is what it's coming to and you're showing the way. Just an outstanding idea and a terrific way to show your/our support.

God bless you joanie!

FGS

[pgkdan]

Thanks for the ping. You and your husband are my kind of people! Mr Stoltzfus too.

[First_Salute]

Mr. Polite's career, ought to be finished.

The matter is a very simple First Amendment case. Mr. Stoltzfus is exercising free speech in the face of government, Mr. Polite, attempting to use the power of government to stifle Mr. Stoltzfus.

You could not find a more clear cut case, to be used as an example, when trying to explain the freedom of speech right affirmed by the First Amendment.

You might also not find, an easier example with which to demonstrate, that liberals commonly do not have any understanding of our Constitution.

For them, it is all about case law, the anti-democratic-republican, arbitrary, and capricious acts of their collective of "activist judges," with which they mean to abort original conception and substitute some continuum of "decisions" that echo whatever may be the socialists' pleasures, forcing law to adhere to their rule, instead of their adhering to the rule of law.

If I could have been there with your family, today, I would have liked to leave behind, a Cross of Lorraine, with Mr. Stoltzfus, which symbolizes not only Christianity, yet also resistance to government tyranny.