Gomers: What's going wrong

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MOSQUE DAMAGED: The Islamic Center of Cedar Rapids, home of the oldest mosque in North America, was vandalized early last week. Windows and glass doors were smashed, about $3,000 in damage. A Swisher teenager confessed the senseless act, police said.

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BACKFIRE: Pulled over last month by Marion police for having illegal tinted windows in her car, Lisa Jones-Hall called the officer names, refused to sign the ticket at first and then dared him to arrest her because she was to start her new job with the Linn County Prosecutor's Office the following week, a police video released last week shows. The Prosecutor's Office appropriately changed its mind about hiring Jones-Hall. She returned to her job with Iowa Legal Aid, hopefully a bit wiser. And if you wonder whether she was singled out, well, Marion police have issued more than 240 tickets for tinted windows so far this year.

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OFFENSIVE: The North Iowa Tea Party didn't do the national Tea Party movement any favors last week. The locals paid for a Mason City billboard sign comparing President Barack Obama to Adolf Hitler and Vladimir Lenin. The group soon covered it up.