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Second Life has been hit by one of its first instances of political vandalism, with John Edwards's virtual campaign headquarters defaced by apparent supporters of George W. Bush, according to blogger Lyndsay Beyerstein (via Pandagon).

The vandalism included "Bush '08" signs and an altered a photo of Edwards, rendered in blackface (see photo). The vandalists also plastered the area with Marxist-Leninist posters as well as a feces spewing obscenity.

John Edwards's blog pegs the vandalists as Republicans, since the vandalists stuck around to harass visitors "with right-wing nonsense and obscenity-laden abuse of Democrats in general."

Comments on Beyerstein's post conclude that the virtual terrorists' motives are unclear, and they may simply be a bunch of "geeks" with an inordinate amount of time on their hands.