‘Dipshits arrested in Queensbury Lodge vandalism’

     
Dipshit is my favorite word. I recommend it. It has a slightly Illinoisan-car-salesman feel to it, so part of the pleasure of saying it is the one-second role-play. The “sh” part of dipshit should come out soft and slightly prolonged, and each syllable of dipshit should have equal, firm emphasis. The word should come out slightly lower than your normal register. Never high pitched, never defensive, never whiney. For example, not “Oh my god, what a dipshit!” but, with a quick yet slow head-shake, “He’s a dipshit.” It’s dismissive. It’s absolute.

Halle Butler
The Paris Review
March 4, 2019


The cretins who spraypaint swastikas on peoples’ property are understood in two denominations. The ones who paint the symbol accurately, with its arms in the correct direction, as if showing a counter-clockwise spin, are the dangerous ones. Regard them seriously. If they have their way, we’ll be living under their boots before long. The other ones? That paint the swastika backward? They are subdivided into two camps: those under age 14, and those who need to be punched in the nuts 27 times (3x3x3) to impart a valuable lesson in charity.

Dipshits.

The dipshits: Anthony Dean and Gaven Wasson.

That’s what was placed under arrest yesterday. Identified by police as Anthony Leon Dean, age 20, and Gaven M. Wasson, 18, they are alleged to have painted “Crip 58” and “58 Crip” on the building of Queensbury Lodge 121, and similar nonsense, plus the backward swastika, on the roadside sign of the Queensbury Masonic Historical Society.

Anthony Leon Dean, born December 16, 1998, a resident of 1 Fulton Street in Glens Falls, has an arrest record already. According to the Warren County Sheriff, he was arrested March 14, 2018 and charged with obstructing governmental administration, resisting arrest, and probation violation.

Gaven M. Wasson is homeless in Glens Falls, according to police.

They were located by police at the home of an acquaintance, on the same street as the lodge, and were taken into custody after admitting their involvement in the crime, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

For their other efforts that day, which involved allegedly stealing two cans of spray paint from the local Walmart and then painting graffiti on a gas station, they are charged with Criminal Mischief third degree (E felony), Making Graffiti (Class A misdemeanor), and Petit Larceny (Class A misdemeanor), according to New York State Police. The dipshit duo will appear in Queensbury Town Court on October 21 at 9 a.m.

I meant to publish something here about the vandalism a few days ago, after the lodge set up an online fundraising page to pay for repairing the damage, but their $1,500 goal was exceeded so quickly, thanks to the contributions from more than 50 donors, that publicity for the fundraising wasn’t necessary.

Courtesy WNYT/Channel 13, Albany, NY.

An impressive extent of news media coverage has been generated by the vandalism. Channel 13 up there quotes the lodge secretary explaining how his lodge is the victim of repeated attacks of this nature. They already have multiple surveillance cameras installed, and soon will have even more.