Freedom of Speech in the Bush era

“What did this lady do wrong?

HAMILTON, New Jersey (CNN) -- The mother of a soldier killed in Iraq was arrested Thursday in Hamilton, New Jersey, after interrupting a campaign speech by first lady Laura Bush. As police hauled her away, she shouted, "Police brutality."

Wearing a T-shirt with the message "President Bush You Killed My Son," Sue Niederer of nearby Hopewell screamed questions at the first lady as the audience tried to drown her out by chanting, "Four more years! Four more years!"

She pressed on, refused to leave and eventually police removed her from the firehouse rally.

The first lady finished her speech, praising the administration's achievements in the war on terror and the economy.

Outside, Niederer said she wanted to ask Laura Bush "Why the senators, the legislators, the congressmen, why aren't their children serving?"

She went on to blame the president for the death of her 24-year-old son, Army First Lieutenant Seth Dvorin. He was killed while trying to defuse a roadside bomb that exploded on him.

"My son was in the Army, and he was killed February third this year," she said.

As the Hamilton police and Secret Service agents surrounded her and reporters pressed her with questions, she held her ground, claiming "I had my ticket" to attend the speech by the first lady.

Police subsequently handcuffed her and she was led away to a nearby van. As she was escorted, she repeatedly shouted "Police brutality" and demanded to know her rights and the charges.

Later, she was charged with defiant trespass and released.

Since her son's death, the bereaved mother has spoken out repeatedly against the ongoing Iraq conflict. She is active in an anti-war protest group, Military Families Speak Out.

She has reportedly participated in numerous demonstrations, including protests around the Republican National Convention in New York.

She has also reportedly protested outside of Walter Reed Army Hospital, where many wounded troops are treated, Dover Air Force Base, in Delaware, where troops' remains are returned to the United States.

Neither the Bush campaign nor the Hamilton Police would comment on the incident.

http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/09/17/bush.protester/index.html”

“Uhhh, EarthNsky? It's okay to have contrary views and express them, but not to disrupt organized rallies or meetings. This goes for both sides just the same.”

“The reactions were way over the top. And the "Compassionate" crowd just yelled "4 more years" in her face. Putzes!”

“So arrest her, Buck?”

“yeah, I can understand asking her to leave, but what law did she break?”

“Bush is diminishing our constitutional rights with these arrests. He is bringing us into a darker world of fear than the McCarthy days.”

“I hope this incident gets tons of coverage. It's disgusting and undemocratic!!!!”

“It's falling on deaf ears, ENS. These guys will defend anything that comes from the administration's corner. ANYTHING!!!”

“Notice she was arrested after she was outside and no longer disrupting the nice people inside who dodn't want to here about a mother's anguish.”

“here hear”

“things like this incident piss me off”

“but the Bush administration is compassionate. Laura could have turned this into a positive and failed to show any compassion. It's really sad. Arrest her, that was the best thing they could think of. Not the kind of leadership I would expect from the Whitehouse. Really sad”

“it's like the guy who was arrested in WV for heckling Bush a few months back and then he got fired from his job for it. This kinda stuff is happening way too much.”

“In years past, this woman would have been removed, but not arrested.”

“She wasn't in a designated "free-speech" zone!”

“Oh, I forgot. that zone is located on the other side of town...”

“One of the audience members reportedly yelled: "Your son chose to go fight that war!"

Nice.”

“He didn't have "other priorities"?”

“Why would you blame the President for something the local cops did? The cops were right of course, but they don't take orders from the President.”

“Bush is rewriting the Constitution”

“when you are at his campaign events you do not have any rights”

“Why does this president require people to sign a friggin waiver to get into one of his speeches?

Unprecedented, and unpresidential.”

“I hope this gets widespread news coverage!!!”

“Why does this president require people to sign a friggin waiver to get into one of his speeches?

Unprecedented, and unpresidential.


undemocratic!! Bush is taking Democracy out of Democracy bit by bit.”

“How about widespread news coverage of Kerry supporters stealing a Bush sign from a 3 year old girl and ripping it apart?”

“Someone pass out the cheese and crackers.”

“What this woman was trying to do was disrupt someone else who was speaking. Disrupting someone else's right to speak freely is hardly a defense of your own right to speak.”

“did she break a law though?”

“Nice you brought that up, Bison.

Ever wonder why that particular guy has been assaulted three times with widespread media coverage each time in the last three presidential elections?”

“this is totally off topic, but, do you want to dayhike somewhere in Shenandoah this weekend?

Ok back to topic”

“"Bush is rewriting the Constitution"

EarthNsky
03:57:26 PM
09/17/04

I hate to break this to you but Bush can't rewrite the constitution.”

“Absolutely,

Politics bad,

Hiking good.

Rain might mess that up though. I was thinking I'd make Phaedrus a deal, if he can develop a weather machine that will give me perfect weather whenever I want to go hiking I will vote for Kerry.”

“Sure, no problem. It's called a lightwieght rainjacket.”

“I'll hike in the rain. I did Old Rag on Labor Day in the rain. Slipped on a few rocks and cut up my knee but it was fun. I'm free on Sunday. Hell, I'd even do an overnighter tomorrow night. I have to work tomorrow, but we could do something small tomorrow night and camp and then hike some big mileage on Sunday.”

“ENS - I want to get in a hike in the south district. Either the Rocky Mountain/Brown Mountain loop, or the Turk Branch loop.”

“I can't do big mileage on Sunday, How about a short loop on Sunday?

Phaedrus, I have a rain jacket, I was thinking something that would fundamentally change the weather.”

“let's do it. Nothing like planning a trip in a fuego thread. lol”

“ding ding ding, back to the debate”

“There's a freakin tornado on the ground just down the road from me, I don't think a rain jacket's gonna help that.”

“Puss.

So, let's talk about Phil Parlock using his daughter as a stage for a political lie. Woudn't you agree that's wrong to do?”

“Laura was too stoned to give a damn.”

“

Note the Pieces of sign in the Union-shirted guy's hand.



Doesn't the guy in the grey sweatshirt look familiar?”

“How about widespread news coverage of Kerry supporters stealing a Bush sign from a 3 year old girl and ripping it apart?"
Bison
04:01:38 PM


Well?

Has the drudge report *gasp* led you astray?!”

“If that's true, I'd shoot the bastard.

I didn't get it from Drudge, got it from Yahoo.”

“If I ever get to see Bush, face to face, I'm going to call him a f'ing moron and a disgrace. Then, after they arrest me, I'll go to the press and demand of the dolt why he hasn't sued me for slander!”

“Ah, it was all over the drudge report.

I won't judge every republican supporter based on the reprehensible actions of this one family of partisan hacks.”

“Hmmm... dang, if only Al Franken was there. He would've tackled her.

The police asked her several times to move on and she refused. Of course you arrest her at that point. Same with at a Democrat rally. You can't disrupt these rallies for prolonged periods of time. Just ask Al Franken. Nobody would be able to speak on either side if you just allowed groups of people to completely disrupt meetings and rallies willy nilly.”

“That's not even a three year old girl. It's his cojoined twin!”

“Laura was too stoned to give a damn."
Tilt
04:29:10 PM
09/17/04

The Bush Admin does not know how to improv and lost a great oppurtunity to show how "compassionate" they are. Instead they showed total lack of compassion. The new catch phrase should be "total lack of compassion conservatism"”

“Allz I know is I'm voting for Dan Rather.”