David Jungerman farms 6,800 acres of river bottom land in western Missouri.
He’s not the kind of guy who posts on Twitter or has a Facebook profile.
So when the 72-year-old Raytown man wanted to speak out politically, he used what he had handy: a 45-foot-long, semi-truck box trailer.
He planted the trailer with its professionally painted message in his Bates County cornfield along heavily traveled U.S. 71 about an hour south of Kansas City. He wanted lots of people to see it.
They did. Including at least one with a good case of outrage, matches and a can of gas.
On May 12, Jungerman’s trailer was torched. The Rich Hill volunteer fire department responded. A week later, it was set afire again. The firefighters put it out again.
Then flames erupted in an empty farm house that Jungerman owns.
“They don’t like free speech,” said Jungerman. He put out a $5,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.
The sign is harder to read now because some of the letters are charred; the trailer tires burnt to nothing.
“Things are getting a little out of hand out there,” said Chief Deputy Justin Moreland of the Bates County Sheriff’s Office.
Local Democrats don’t want to be linked to the arsons. Jungerman has every right to speak his mind, said Kay Caskey, a Bates County Democrat and wife of longtime state Sen. Harold Caskey.
“Obviously our country is in disarray now because of economics, jobs and foreclosures,” she said. “We are hurting as a country. But there are too many people who want to tear it down instead of build it up. Yes, there is anger out there, and we are a long way from Washington.
“This man has a right to do what he did, but around here some people might wonder at what point do you cross the line?”
Jungerman said he didn’t mean to direct his sign at local Democrats. Many of those are old-fashioned Harry Truman Democrats, he said.
“They’re more conservative than many Republicans,” he said. “I should have put an ad in the paper to explain that. No, I meant the national Democrat parasite base that is sucking this country dry. The ones that just take from the government and not give anything back.”
Jungerman says he’s not even a die-hard Republican. He voted for Claire McCaskill when she won a U.S. Senate seat in 2006.
He put the sign out to make a point, but also to stir up some fun.
“You should have heard the truckers talking on the CB radio,” he said with a chuckle. “One would like the sign and another would tell him to pull over up ahead so he could whup him.”
Jungerman grew up on a farm, but got tired of the tail of a Jersey milk cow hitting him in the face so he told his father he was going to town to get a job.
“I’ve worked 80 to 90 hours a week ever since,” he said.
He’s a staunch believer in personal responsibility. In 1990, he and his daughter confronted four teens they caught fishing in a pond on their Raytown land. The boys called them names and threatened them, Jungerman said, and one spit on Jungerman’s daughter.
Jungerman pulled a snub-nosed .38-caliber and held them until police arrived.
The police, however, arrested him, took his Rolex watch and threw him in jail. The next day when he made bail, police did not return the watch. They said they didn’t remember him having one.
He pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor gun charge.
Five years later, against advice, he sued the city of Raytown for the value of the watch. He represented himself in a three-day trial that he won. But the judge overturned the verdict and the jury’s award of $9,175.
Jungerman appealed, won again and got his money.
Today, he owns a baby furniture company called Baby-Tenda Corp. at 123 S. Belmont in Kansas City’s Northeast area. He manages to get down to his farmland two or three times a week.
His problem now is that corn is looking good. Soon, it will obscure his trailer sign from highway traffic.
“Well, I would have pulled it out of there by now if they hadn’t burned the tires off.”
3 comments:
This mans trailer is parked in Democrat country.(Missouri has often been considered a southern State) I live across the border in Kansas (Free-state Kansas) and when Slavery issues were being decided upon long ago, border wars and skirmishes were terrible in this area.(Jesse James, Bloody Bill Anderson, John Brown and the worst in my opinion -Quantrill who along with his party burned down Lawrence Ks and mowed down between 185-200 men,(I heard women and children too and although the hotel has been rebuilt it is said to be haunted so naturally I avoid the place. (Jesse James participated in those raids as well)Back then you prayed that they didn't ride past your farmstead or you'd have been terrorized. That's how we became known as bleeding Kansas..but now days we maintain that status from our late term abortion commitment - in my opinion.
My point is that the line is still clearly divided where as generally speaking the Republicans live on this side of the "State line" and on the other side are the Democrats (my extended family). Of course it's just a general idea as everyone has their own opinions. However keep in mind Raytown is next door to Independence Mo. Home to democratic president Harry Truman and they are still staunch democrats- as I visited that town a month or so ago. (A big Morman area too)
However, If I were this man I believe I'd move the trailer for his own personal safety..
Lastly the corn around here does look terrific... thanks be to God.
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Claire McCaskil's a pro- abort witch with a "B". I'm not very christian towards people who procure abortions and spew B.S.
Babies can't defend themselves ya know.
Why are so slamming witches? If you can't respect their religion, how can they respect yours?
And enough about the babies. Geez. Go on some crusade to make lazy, self-important American males actually spend more than 5 minutes with their own children each year. They are failing their children, not women seeking abortions.
Dear Kotty, I supppose that most children who are ignored by their parents would - if asked, choose to be alive and ignored rather than dead... Know that fathers will be held responsible in the end and will have to give an accounting to God for all that they've done or failed to do.
Women are stupid for having sex with lazy self important males who only consider their own needs and it works the other way around.
Should we then kill the child so that parents can live as they wish? So lousy parents who ignore their childs physical , emotional and spiritual needs can have it easy?
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I do regret not speaking about Claire in a more christian tone and for that I'm sorry. (I'm working on my bad temper)
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And about your religion of which I was once a member... Your on the WRONG SIDE! Your going to serve either God or Satan -there's no in between. Satan is the loser in this war and in case you didn't know it they're battling for your soul and for millions of others. Even so none of the other souls are like yours as yours is irreplaceable which heats up the battle even more.
God is so very much in love with you and Satan hates you because of it and he wants to destroy you.
The way Satan enters and destroys a person is through their mind.
You can consider yourself having been decieved.
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BTW you've tapped into a great group of Christians. They're fun/funny, and intelligent people who aren't syrupy sweet frauds. We are sinners but we are repentant sinners.
God bless you. I will pray for you today and that you come to know the one true God who aches to be with you but on his terms not yours.
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Please pray for me today. I will offer up my emotional pain for you today. My gift to Christ on your behalf.
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