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Garden Gnome Liberation Front
Wikipedia has a brief blurb about the Garden Gnome Liberation Front. This is a political movement dedicated to liberating gnomes from the gardens in which they are imprisoned. Members of the liberation front remove gnomes from gardens and either take them out to the woods to set them loose, or smash them to set their spirit free (personally I think taking them out to the woods sounds like the more humane option). I wonder if they've ever considered taking them to the underwater gnome garden. Anyway, this is an international movement. The American group calls itself Free The Gnomes. The Italian group calls itself MALAG, or the Independent Movement for the Liberation of the Garden Gnomes. One of those days I'm probably going to have to create a new category for gnomes.
Listed in chronological order. Newest comments at the end.
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A few months ago as a joke I sent my sis in law a letter "from" the GGLF telling her to free the gnomes in her garden. The same day I sent a letter addressed to her gnome telling it to Arise, and throw off the shackles. 
I'm not sure she ever realised it was me, as she never mentioned it, and I've forgotten to ever ask her about it.
Posted by Winona in USA on Thu Mar 31, 2005 at 08:51 PM
I'm not sure she ever realised it was me, as she never mentioned it, and I've forgotten to ever ask her about it.
Sorta sounds like "SPEW" from Harry Potter. When she's trying to free all the house elves from enslavement.
Posted by Superdave on Thu Mar 31, 2005 at 08:52 PM
I just remembered! Then Ron or someone makes a joke about the "House Elf Liberation Front"
Posted by Superdave on Thu Mar 31, 2005 at 08:55 PM
IIRC, GGLF predated the Harry Potter version. I didn't even think of the similarity, can you believe that? Guess it wasn't that important to me. 
Posted by Winona in USA on Thu Mar 31, 2005 at 09:07 PM
I still have my mom's neighbor's "garden rock" in my back yard, waiting for the snow to be gone enough to return it and shock her. She noticed it missing about 5 months ago, when the snow started getting really bad. She blamed it on teenagers, of course. She just didn't know how old THIS teenager was.
I had planned to take it to Alberta when I went in January, just so I could take pictures of me and it when I was there and leave them on her step with the rock, but I forgot the damned thing until I was too far from home to bother turning around. Kinda ruined my own joke. But she'll still be surprised to see it, she's already replaced it.
Seriously. Want a picture?
Posted by Rod in the land of smarties. on Thu Mar 31, 2005 at 09:19 PM
I had planned to take it to Alberta when I went in January, just so I could take pictures of me and it when I was there and leave them on her step with the rock, but I forgot the damned thing until I was too far from home to bother turning around. Kinda ruined my own joke. But she'll still be surprised to see it, she's already replaced it.
Seriously. Want a picture?
Just tell her the Gnome was tired of freezing stuff off standing out there in the snow and decided to head to Florida for the winter.
Seriously Elf and Gnome liberation predates "Harry Potter" by so much that Rowling probably borrowed the idea from real life.
Best quote involving garden gnomes, John Cleese from Fawlty Towers -> "I'm... going... to insert this gnome in Mr. O'Reilley!" exclamed to Sylvia whilst waving it around rather suggestively after having to deal with a really bad contractor fiasco.
Posted by martinelli in Oregon on Fri Apr 01, 2005 at 07:06 PM
Seriously Elf and Gnome liberation predates "Harry Potter" by so much that Rowling probably borrowed the idea from real life.
Best quote involving garden gnomes, John Cleese from Fawlty Towers -> "I'm... going... to insert this gnome in Mr. O'Reilley!" exclamed to Sylvia whilst waving it around rather suggestively after having to deal with a really bad contractor fiasco.
"O, 'twould be sweetness of breath, were I to shed these shackles of shame." Free the Gnomes!
Posted by stork in the spiracles of space on Sat Apr 02, 2005 at 04:29 PM
But then Evan said, "No! Now we know who the enemy is. They rise from sentry slavery but too quickly. Death to the garden gnomes! Smash them all!" He felt better after a hot toddy.
Posted by stork in the spiracles of space on Sat Apr 02, 2005 at 04:34 PM
There was a giant garden gnome about 100 feet tall outside a restaurant, 1/2 a block from the ocean in Rehobeth Beach, Delaware. Some years back, a great storm surge came in, and washed the Gnome Man back out into the sea, about 500 feet onto a sand bar. He sits there now, surrounded by water. I guess you could say: "Gnome Man is an island"... but you don't have to, no matter what Rod says. Save the whales
Posted by Hairy Houdini on Sat Apr 02, 2005 at 05:02 PM
Posted by Rod in the land of smarties. on Sat Apr 02, 2005 at 05:13 PM
Sorry, Hairy, but where? Spent part of two of the last three summers at Rehoboth Beach. Walked the whole boards and most beach; visited Bethany Beach and Lewes, drove down the peninsula and bridge to Maryland, and took the Cape May-Lewes Ferry twice. Nope, no sign of a 100-foot garden gnome, nor even part. GPS coordinates would be most helpful. Or is this a 'seaside-urban legend?'
Posted by stork in the spiracles of space on Sun Apr 03, 2005 at 11:34 AM
walk down to Grotto Pizza, order some fries cooked in that peanut oil, squirt a little vinegar and salt on them, face East, and look to the horizon. There you will see, Gnome man is an island
Posted by Hairy Houdini on Sun Apr 03, 2005 at 12:09 PM
Okay, Hairy, I think I know the place. But the fragment sticking out of the sea is so skinny, that it just looks like a ruined pier pylon. Although, there are no other pylons sticking up, there, which makes it seem unusual. I think the salt water waves, storms, ice, etc., have done their damage quickly, if that it the right place. What is seen there, now, could be a wrought iron or steel frame still coated with a little concrete. I hope I got the right place. Thanks for the input.
Posted by stork in the spiracles of space on Sun Apr 03, 2005 at 05:00 PM
y'now... The more I think of it, I think it was a block or two North up by the Dolles Salt Water taffy joint. My bad.
Posted by Hairy Houdini on Sun Apr 03, 2005 at 05:10 PM
Unless they moved it down to the old bridge you fish off of at the India River Inlet... no- wait, that's a really big pink flamingo... it's been a while
Posted by Hairy Houdini on Sun Apr 03, 2005 at 05:13 PM
The Pink Flamingoes will get you every time - especially if go miniature golfing. But then Evan said, after a warm bath, "Today will see the end for the Gnome uprising. We ahall smash their abodes, and render their habilitation meaningless". If only he had known the strength of the guardian Gnomes. Then his terrible demise would not have been legend. So it is.
Posted by stork in the spiracles of space on Sun Apr 03, 2005 at 07:36 PM
What it is
Posted by Hairy Houdini on Sun Apr 03, 2005 at 07:41 PM
What it was
Posted by Hairy Houdini on Sun Apr 03, 2005 at 07:42 PM
What it will be
Posted by Hairy Houdini on Sun Apr 03, 2005 at 07:43 PM
It'll be Gnome more of that, I guess...
Posted by Hairy Houdini on Sun Apr 03, 2005 at 07:44 PM
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