Foes of a small-town Mayor in Peru said they have dug up the skull of his late father and won't give it back unless he drops out of the next election.

Police in San Cristobal said unknown thieves unearthed the remains of Juan Vizcarra Quispe, who died in 1978. His bones were found strewn about the cemetery, but his skull is missing.

Mayor Rogelio Vizcarra said he received a text message offering to return the skull if he withdraws his bid for re-election, but he still plans to run.

San Cristobal police officer Leonardo Castro said authorities are investigating Vizcarra's political opponents.

Castro said that the theft violates a law against "offending the memory of the dead," punishable by two years in prison.

I try to be a fair person and I can understand being politically opposed with a candidate and not wanting them to win, but how some people go about voicing strong opinions can be just a little extreme.

It has always been my understanding that if you disagree with a politician's views, the best way to show your disapproval is at the polls. Resorting to slander or grave robbing or any other form of blackmail is hardly a legitimate or intelligent way to get results.

When did fear and loathing take the place of debating and rallying in order to persuade thinking people on how they should vote? When I was on the debate team in high school, we were taught that any persuasive argument had to contain reason and logic if you wanted to have any prospect of changing someone's mind about any given issue.

Too often people are starting to form their decisions on hearsay and fallacies that have absolutely nothing to do with reality or the real issues. People seem to have stopped thinking for themselves and just want to be told what they should do and how they should act, and the way they're choosing to act out is becoming more hostile and morbid. Alas, poor Yorick, we need to get back to using mind skills and not skulls.

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