Freedom of Speech?
"Anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan received an apology when Capitol Police dropped charges against her of unlawful conduct due to her controversial t-shirt that created quite a buzz at Tuesday night's State of the Union address.
The peace activist was arrested minutes before the President's speech for wearing a shirt protesting the war; she had a ticket to attend the speech.
Capitol police now say it was all a mistake. They say she was arrested because of an old, vague law against protesting inside the Capitol Building, but they say just wearing a t-shirt is not unlawful. Police plan to work to clarify the law."
http://www.kvbc.com/Global/story.asp?S=4448298&nav=15MV
Sheehan's shirt read: "2245 Dead. How many more?"
"Late Wednesday, Capitol Police Chief Terrance Gainer issued a statement of apology to the two women, and said the charge against Sheehan may be dropped.
"The officers made a good-faith but mistaken effort to enforce an old unwritten interpretation of the prohibitions about demonstrating in the Capitol," he wrote.
"The failure to adequately prepare the officers is mine."
http://www.cbc.ca/story/world/national/2006/02/02/tshirt-arrest060202.html
An old, unwritten interpretation of a prohibition? An interpretation, an unwritten interpretation? And do we really believe that anyone would be removed from the State of the Union Address (which you have to have an invitation in order to attend) without the officers first checking with their superiors? They misinterpreted an unwritten interpretation and acted on their own and removed and hand-cuffed and jailed a guest of a congressperson? Seriously?
6 comments:
For the love of all that is holY!
I'm starting to seriously worry. The new version of the Patriot Act would make it really easy to imprison protestors for up to a year for civil disobedience at a national event (olympics included).
Lets protest now before we have to pay a year of our lives and our clean criminal records for demanding democracy and justice in this nation!
It's too bad she had to leave early. Now she hasn't been warned of the threat of Sloth/boys and Iguaana/girls.
:)
So you think the Sheehan thing was secretly politically motivated and had its start higher, eh. Interestingly, you failed to mention the second woman referred to in "a statement of apology to the two women," a quote from the article you cited earlier. The other woman was either a congressman or senator's wife! And... she had on a shirt that was supportive of the war and the troops. later gator, Dennis D.
Yeah,
I know there was another lady that got escorted out. Tell me this, though - Why would a congressman's wife be wearing a t-shirt to the state of the union address? I don't think it's a "casual Friday" kind of a event.
are you suggesting that the t-shirt story was an intricate coverup? I know that she was a congressman's wife from the St. Pete/Tampa area.
signed lovingly,
Denny D. :)
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