Professor Resigns After Admitting Theft of McCain Yard Signs

A visiting professor who blogged about stealing McCain-Palin signs from the yards of Minnesota residents has lost his job because of the thefts.

A Minnesota professor who admitted on the Huffington Post that he stole campaign signs for John McCain posted along the highway has resigned.

Phil Busse left his temporary post at St. Olaf College after the school learned of his Oct. 30 posting, "Confessions of a Lawn Sign Stealer," in which the visiting professor admitted to snatching signs from Highway 19 in southeast Minnesota, the Northfield News reported Monday.

"This summer and autumn it was speckled with McCain signs, their cobalt blue squarely set against the gold and red of fall foliage," he wrote on the Huffington Post. "By early October, however, there were no McCain-Palin campaign signs on the eastbound stretch of Highway 19. It wasn't because loyalties had switched, but because I pulled them out."

David Gonnerman, a spokesman for St. Olaf College, told the News that the school learned of Busse's actions on Friday.

"The administration made clear that Mr. Busse's actions were in direct conflict with the college's values and mission and that the college did not in any way condone them," Gonnerman said.

Busse was a visiting professor and taught one class at the college, introductory media studies. He was charged with misdemeanor theft after he told Rice County law enforcement that he took three yard signs, the News reported.

In his blog post, Busse said "yanking out the signs and running like a scared rabbit back to my idling car was one of the single-most exhilarating and empowering political acts that I have ever done."

He faces up to 90 days in jail and or a $1,000 fine, the paper said.

Click here to read more at the Northfield News.

Click here to read Busse's 'Confession' at the Huffington Post.

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