They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. — Benjamin Franklin
Since the passage of the Patriot Act in 2001, civil libertarians have warned of the dangers to individuals of unrestrained state authority. Tuesday night's fiasco at the State of the Union address provides a peek into the dangers of unbridled authoritarian power.
Prior to the State of the Union address, Capitol police physically removed high-profile activist Cindy Sheehan from the House chamber for the non-crime of wearing a non-approved ("Protestor!") t-shirt. She was reportedly handcuffed, arrested, and detained for the full time of the President's address, thus keeping her out of any possible television shot that might pan the gallery.
Sometime during the event, in a veiled attempt at "equal treatment," the same police asked the wife of Rep. C. W. Bill Young (R-FL) to leave "for the non-crime of wearing a T-shirt reading 'Support the Troops'." However, Young's wife was not handcuffed, nor was she arrested.
On Wednesday, US Capitol Police Chief Terrance W. Gainer apologized to both women, after Young complained about his wife's treatment on the House floor.
However, the behavior — the orchestration of what might show in news reports during a Presidential address on public property — is not new. Protesters are regularly ejected from, refused admittance to, or cordoned far away from events on public property. Concurrently, demonstrators supporting the President are often allowed to "speak" their minds through signs or clothing. The practice of restricting dissent began during the Clinton Administration but has reached new heights under this White House.
In December 2003, American Conservative provided several examples, including this one in Florida: (tip)
A recent St. Petersburg Times editorial noted, "At a Bush rally at Legends Field in 2001, three demonstrators - two of whom were grandmothers - were arrested for holding up small handwritten protest signs outside the designated zone. And last year, seven protesters were arrested when Bush came to a rally at the USF Sun Dome. They had refused to be cordoned off into a protest zone hundreds of yards from the entrance to the Dome." One of the arrested protesters was a 62-year-old man holding up a sign, "War is good business. Invest your sons." The seven were charged with trespassing, "obstructing without violence and disorderly conduct."
The author, James Bovard, warned: "Such aggressive tactics become more ominous in the light of the Bush administration’s advocacy, in its Patriot II draft legislation, of nullifying all judicial consent decrees restricting state and local police from spying on those groups who may oppose government policies."
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Article comments
1 - Nancy
Bush made it clear early on in his regime that he had no use for freedom of any kind (except his own) when he commented that "this job would be easier if I were Dictator". I have no doubts that come 2008 he will try to derail presidential elections by claiming that national security will require putting off or doing away with such elections, on the spurious (and probably manufactured grounds) of imminent terrorist activity.
2 - Dave Nalle
It might help if you made just a SMALL nod to the facts. Perhaps by mentioning the fact that Young wasn't arrested because she cooperated with the police and Sheehan was arrested because she resisted being removed from the gallery. But then I guess the truth doesn't serve your purposes as well.
And Nancy, have you been spending time of infowars.com?
Dave
3 - Ebony Ghost
Awww Come on!!! Did a legislature really pass a law against obstructing without violence? Surely, there would never be any kind of attempt made to prosecute such a crime. There may be an attempt to collect some money but, for something like this, the charges would always be dropped.
Infowars? My, my. Whatever shall become of us if people have the audacity to question any of the silliness that the talking heads relay to us. They make the big bucks for their ability to do it with a straight face. The least we could do is gobble it up. Or... is it?
4 - Kathy
Hello, Dave:
Were you an eye-witness to the removal of both Young's wife (who seems to have no name of her own in the press reports) and Sheehan? Because the judgment you have made (one resisted, one did not) was NOT reflected in the reputable news reports that I read. And although I did read Sheehan's account (where she says she did not resist) -- I did NOT quote her.
Instead, I noted that "reportedly" (ie, based on news reports, not my eyes) she was ...
Yours is far more "opinion, not facts" than my reporting of the two events.
Kathy
5 - Bennett
Wonderfully thoughtful and thorough piece, Kathy. You bring the clear reality of our developing police state into focus with this, and add to the alarm that true patriots must sound as this country sinks into its comfy shackles.
Dave's pitiful attempt at discrediting your work just adds to the strength of your presentation.
6 - Kathy
Thank you, Bennett.
I was just forwarded this piece from Time - discussing a US-citizen (although India-born) WITH a security clearance for DoD work was detained for an hour after the SotU address as a possible security threat.
:-/
7 - larry
cindy came to the capitol looking for trouble and found it. i admit the other woman was removed as a token. cindy claims she was hurt while she was being removed. awww. cindy was wearing a gangsta type hooded coat and removed it whe she got to her seat. please dont tell me that thereis no written dress code. aduldts should know how to dress to fit the occasion. the ladies lacrosse team wore flip flops to the white house,they were goodnaturally chided. they donated them for a charity aauction. would anyone wear sandals short and a sun your buns shirt to see the pope?