Freedom of Speech in the Bush era

“Compassionate Conservatism is a joke, but somehow it isn't funny.”

“hey MarkO, come hiking with us tomorrow.”

“We're going to Dark Hollow falls, Rose River falls also, they should be roaring from all the rain.”

“Hmmmmm, I'll be librarying 11:00 to 5:00.

Have fun, boys!”

“Work bad.

Hiking good.”

“I'll be hiking to and from work.”

“Not quite the same, but it would be nice to be able to do that, unfortuneatly living within hiking distance of my work would be incredibly expensive.”

“Just for Phaedrus:

The person holding the ripped sign from the girl was not Parlock's son.

"Friday afternoon, James A. Williams, general president of the union, issued a statement apologizing to the Parlock family.

The incident at the airport "is an affront to everything we, as a union, pride ourselves to represent," Williams’ statement said.

"I have personally taken steps to address this issue internally, and will take immediate disciplinary action to the fullest extent allowed under U.S. Department of Labor regulations and the constitution of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades."”

“At Bush rally, no 'liberals' allowed

Christopher_Cousins@TimesRecord.Com
09/30/2004

Two Bowdoin College students, initially cleared to attend President Bush's Bangor rally last week, are ejected because they support Kerry.

BATH — Two Bowdoin College students who traveled to Bangor last Thursday to see President George W. Bush speak at a campaign rally were ousted from the event after another Bowdoin student recognized them as supporters of Bush's opponent, Sen. John F. Kerry.

Bree Dallinga, a junior from New York, and Ashley Cusick, a senior from Texas, are both active and outspoken liberals, but they insist they did not go to last Thursday's rally to cause a disruption. At most, they considered revealing T-shirts they were wearing that read "Empires Fall" and "Another Proud American Despite Bush."

The T-shirts were not visible when the duo was forced out of the event.

Bowdoin junior Dan Schuberth, who is taking a semester off from college to work on the Bush campaign as the chairman of Maine Students for Bush and Maine College Republicans, picked them out of a crowd of people filing into the rally at a hangar at Bangor International Airport, and had them expelled.

Schuberth said the girls were flagged as people who were likely to disrupt the rally.

"I'm amazed that we made it through a background check, all these security checkpoints, through presidential security, and then some kid from our school has the power to kick us out," said Cusick Wednesday. "Whether or not I support Bush, it's not very often that we get the chance to go see our president speak."

Dallinga, who works for the Kerry campaign as a member of the Bowdoin Women's Association, said she and Schuberth have often found themselves at political odds during their time at Bowdoin.

"Dan knew that I vehemently disagree with the president," said Dallinga. "We were walking in when I saw him. He said 'Those two girls. They're not getting through.'"

Security officers informed them that they had been identified as "suspicious characters" and would have to leave. The young women said they pleaded their case to more than one person before being escorted out of the airport complex.

<snip>”

“Of course they were suspicious characters ... they had brains in their heads.”

“Fear must be maintained or the empire is doomed.”

“I guess I have to ask why would a couple of guys that are Kerry supporters go to so much trouble to got to a Bush rally anyway?

I'm not trying to start an argument, I'm just curious. Were they there because they are wavering and might be changing their mind? Or, were they there to make a fuss? Or is there some other explaination.”

“"Whether or not I support Bush, it's not very often that we get the chance to go see our president speak."


This is a sufficient explanation!”

“It's not inconceivable that had they been allowed to stay, the golden tongued orator might have swayed them to his side.

But, they got a first-hand civics lesson.”

“Terror tactics?

"Hi, I'm Dubya, and I approve of these tactics!"”

“Oh yeah? Well Kerry cheated in the debate. Hah!”

“Yeah, Kerry did.


He used an unfair advantage..........he brought a brain.”

“and some notecards....”

“TB, I agree that your explaination is certainly sufficient. And possible even accurate. These guys went to some trouble to attend the event, and since there are a lot of Kerry supporters here (or at least Bush haters), I was curious what might motivated them.”

“Don't really know. But, the reality is that they shouldn't have to go to any great lengths to justify why they wanted to be there, IMO.”

“Are you taking exception to the fact that I am asking?”

“"Oh yeah? Well Kerry cheated in the debate. Hah!"
Mutt
01:05:56 PM
10/04/04

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Yeah, Kerry did.


He used an unfair advantage..........he brought a brain."
MarkO
01:08:13 PM
10/04/04

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"and some notecards...."
Mutt
01:14:10 PM
10/04/04


I would think our resident geopolitical expert would be above posting right-wing smears after they had been discredited.”

“Not at all, NP. Not at all. Just stating my thoughts.”

“Ahhh, the old notes on the pen trick.

Right, Chief!”

“I must not be watching enough TV.

So now the Repubs are saying that Kerry cheated?

Ha ha ha hah a ha ha ha ha ha ha ha........”

“This isn't the first instance of this. Bush has made people sign on the dotted line saying they support him before entering to hear The President of the United States speak.

I pay your salary, punk! I can attend an open event to hear you speak any time I want, punk! And I certainly don't need to sign on the dotted-line!

The above scenario reminds me of that scene at the end of the remake of Invasion of the Body Snatchers when the woman goes to meet Donald Sutherland in the park and he points at her, makes the face and SCEEEEEEETCH...”

“Why would I want to go hear Shrub speak?

That's a good one!”

“I've heard Dubya speak both with and without the phoney Texas accent.”

“RM's tirade aside (actually I thought that was Cheney's campaign that was doing the signed documents thing), I kind invisioned this whole thing as a security issue that got carried away.

But it seems to me that if someone had paid for the platform and the expenses to put on and event, they pretty much have the right to include or exclude anyone they want. Doesn't seem like a smart move (image wise) to do it, but on the other hand if I go to an event to hear some one speak, I shouldn't have to listen to some heckler making an ass out of him/her self.

Some one explain why I'm wrong.”

“Kerry DID cheat. He wrote down and held Bush accountable for what he said. The media has rules against that.”

“So let me get this straight. The Secret Service, which acts in the best interest of the President's safety, allowed them in, then airport security (not affiliated with the President) escorted them out. I see nothing that suggests the President had any part in this. Now a bunch of clueless idiots are wringing their hands about how this is the fault of W, demonstrating that the truly stupid are the ones who think this is a big deal.”

“I know, violin, I already know all about it. Thanks a bunch. Thank you, that's great. Obviously I failed at being humorous.”

“Won't be the first time, Mutt...”

“....or the last with these blissninnies. *sigh*”

“A story like this deserves to be run up the flagpole to embarrass our fearless leader as much as possible.”

“I have no problem at all with this. I'm hoping one day liberals have their own water fountains and bathrooms too.”

“Nice thought, Mister Krueger.

And some day I'll teach you how to flush.”

“One more crack like that and I'm callin' in the dogs and fire hoses! LOL!”

“Bow Wow ! ! !”

“"Keeping people from expressing thier freedom of speech is hard. It's hard work, and a tough job. It's a challange that face's us today. It's not easy."

GWB”

“They were just in the wrong place, wrong time, wrong speech!”

“Principal bans 'anti-military,' 'anti-American' materials

By CHRIS JONES
Associated Press

A Cookeville (Tenn.) High School administrator said Veterans for Peace and a Quaker group can't come back into his school with materials considered ''anti-American'' and ''anti-military.''

The groups plan to go before the Putnam County school board tomorrow with claims that they're being denied privileges afforded to other organizations, including military recruiters.

The war veterans, some who also belong to the Quaker group, were allowed into the school during a September fair for organizations. They set up a table with books about U.S. wars and offered photocopied fliers and pamphlets from both organizations about the war in Iraq and military careers and alternatives.

Quaker and veteran Hector Black said several students stopped by the table and asked questions, and a couple of teachers even thanked them for coming.

He said there wasn't any indication of a problem until later that evening, when he got a phone call from Principal Wayne Shank.

Shank told Black that some of the groups' materials may be proper for adults, but he thought they were inappropriate for the students.

''The information was brought to the attention of administrators because of the influence it may have had,'' said Shank, who restricted future visits by the groups. ''I felt, from a principal's viewpoint, that the students were being put into a position that they shouldn't.''

Black said Shank specified some quotes in the literature that he objected to, including one from a 1953 speech by President Eisenhower that said, ''Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed. Those who are cold and are not clothed.''

<snip>”

“I think we have lost our youth!http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=676&u=/usatoday/20050131/ts_usatoday/usstudentssaypressfreedomsgotoofar&printer=1”

“And this is Bush's fault how?”

“Nigal, we are not losing our rights because of Bush. We have Bush because the people put him there. The people are responsible for what is going on in this country. I guess the greatest right in a democracy is to give away all your rights.

Those that give up liberty to obtain security deserve neither.
Ben Franklin”

“I fully agree with Old Ben. I just don't understand how Bush is at fault as Violink suggests. I mean besides the fact he's a mindless liberal.”

“V, are you this upset when colleges won't let military groups or religous groups on campus?”

“The "No Child Left Behind Act" gives military recruiters access to student records so they can contact them at home and the recruiters have ready access to the student body. That is different than what is afforded at a college campus, so NoProb there is a diff. I think Vile just put this issue on this thread so as to not start a new thread. He is thrifty, yes?
Why should any school administrator be reluctant to allow a group the same access as military recruiters, ones who may make the CHILDREN aware that there are legal options should there be a draft? Who does this principal serve, the children???”

“I read back over today's posts and Nigal is the only one suggesting this is Bush's fault.

Stop trying to make trouble.”

“ Cookeville (Tenn.) High School administrator said Veterans for Peace and a Quaker group can't come back into his school with materials considered ''anti-American'' and ''anti-military.''

Good. It's no wonder that 99% of veterans absolutely despise the 1% that trashes the military and our military engagements. This is why John F'ing Kerry didn't win: the majority of Americans prefer a patriot to a seditionist. Someone who owns up to being an adult, rather than a person with a pathetic, contrived victim mindset.”