I just caught a brief new bite this morning. It seems that Mrs Sheehan was arrested last night when entering the gallery for the State of the union" last night. News reported that the arrest stemmed from the anti war Tee shirt Mrs. Sheehan was wearing. Well now, I'm not Mrs. Sheehan's biggest fan but if indeed that was the reason for her arrest, the DC police should be required to attend training in constitutional rights.
Turns out a republican senator's wife was also escorted out because of her Tee which said something like, "Support Our Troops." It is said she is a support activist that has spent many an hour with hospitalized troopers at Bethesda. Grrrr. At least the Capitol cops are even handed, however idiotic.
[center:9bd208a845]The 1st Amendment[/center:9bd208a845] [center:9bd208a845]Limited Offer[/center:9bd208a845] [center:9bd208a845]Void Where Prohibited[/center:9bd208a845]
The Senator..from Florida..the Senators wife was not arrested..she was escorted out.. They were not even handed...They arrested Cindy Sheehan...but not Sen Young's wife.. I am not saying I agree with Ms Sheehan...all I am saying is......I am not happy... What happened to Freedom of Speech? She was not making a spectacle of herself as she has in the past....and they arrested her? I just better shut up right now....
Freedom of speech does not extend to all places at all times - a couple of idiots at a Clinton visit found that out when they joked about shooting him and found themselves in jail. I'm glad they got her out there - you know she would've done something and she was dumb enough to give them a reason to remove her. Of course any scene she made would've made the liberals look even worse than they do now but after consorting with Chavez and Belafonte I can't believe anyone takes her seriously.
Freedom of speech does not extend to all places at all times Quite true....you can not yell "FIRE" in a crowded theater......you can not joke about the bomb you might be carrying as you board an airplane, etc..... None of that was done here. She wore a tee shirt. Bad taste.....certainly.....no matter WHAT the message. But believe it or not, the 1st amendment is there to protect, among other things, bad taste. Do you or I agree with the message ? ......doesn't matter........for if we don't protect those whose message we disagree with, then eventually NO ONE will get to say anything.
It appears that the charges have now been dropped. DC police say that it was a "misunderstanding". It appears there is an old law on the books about protesting in a capitol building. Unfortunately, we all know Mrs. Sheehan will use this arrest as she try her darndest to stay in (or maybe return to) the nightly news spotlight
Do you think the charges would have been dropped, had Senator Young's wife also not been "escorted out"...? I'm interested in others opinions on this.....
and just to offer another opinion.. This is from a navy pilot on another board I belong to...by the way..he sparked a HUGE controversy by posting this..... But just wanted to provide another opinion and see what y'all think..... This I think is the heart of the matter. Military service is respected and rightly so for just this reason - enlistees may be sent into harms way by their country's leaders. They are in essence saying "I will faithfully serve my country, and die if need be in order to fulfill that service." That's the reality that underlies all military service. But this is only half of the equation. The country's leaders have what I would almost call a sacred trust and it boils down to this: they are not to take advantage of the faith that I place in them. They are not to lie to me. They are not to expend the life that I freely give into their hands without good reason. After all, I have no greater sacrifice, no greater gift that I can give to my country than my own life (unless it be the life of one of my children - I don't give a r**'s **s about my own life if my kids are threatened!). Cindy Sheehan has come to the conclusion that the country's leaders DID take advantage of her son, that they DID lie to him, and that they DID expend his life without good reason. Given that belief, how could she just sit at home and do nothing? The woman has her reasons, whether you like them or not. One more point - the government needs to be careful not to abuse our trust. One day they'll need us in the service of a legitimate cause, and after years of being lied to and taken advantage of, none of us will go. Cheers.
I don't always like what my neighbors say but I will defend their right to sayit as loudly and as many times as they wish. This is just one more example of the sorry state our country has become.
As will I, Sea...isn't that what a lot of us here are all about ?? But do you really think the charges would have been dropped, had Mrs Young not been escorted out?? I really am curious......Whether I agree or disagree with Ms Sheehan is not a point here.... I really would like to know what y'all think.. My opinion? They would not have dropped the charges.......but that is just me....and my not so humble opinion..... and it really pisses me off. One set of rules for some...and one for others.......
Yes I do think they would have been dropped. Once the news agencies picked up the story, the DC police were exposed to have such a massive amount of egg on their faces they had no choice. Using some archaic law for political ends is wrong no matter what side of the aisle you sit on.
I think they would have released her and dropped the charges simply because their purpose was already served and they knew it wasnt likely to be able to make it stick but by takeing her into custody and holding her untill after the event was over they were able to keep her from being there and takeing any of the attention. So yeah I think she would have been released just because I dont think they ever intended to charge her with anything, someone just got tipped off she was going to be there and looked for excuses to arrest her so they could keep her away and once that was served they no longer had any need to hold her and it would in fact have been detremental to their purpose of keeping attention shifted elsewhere if they made a big trial of it but by letting her go then it all slides away in a matter of days.
I like how this is some conspiracy to defraud people of their rights - a couple of cops made idiotic decisions as to what made a "protest". Of course they dropped the charges, they never would have stood up. The senators wife was very pissed and said she would not have left if they would've told her what they were doing. The cop would not tell her until she left with him and she thought something had happened to her husband or kids. I think you got it backwards MM - it's Sheehan who got exactly what she wanted. Lots of free publicity and face time - why else would she be there? Without incidents like this and being shown with Chavez she would just fade away so it's a big part of her strategy.
