Arrested for a t-shirt?

[LuckyTheDog]

Gee, I sure hope NOBODY in that room was wearing a lapel pin or botton with any kind of pro-Bush message. Otherwise, this could seem a lot like selective enforcement against Bush's political emenies.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/31/AR2006013101907.html
Sheehan was taken in handcuffs from the Capitol to police headquarters a few blocks away. Her case was processed as Bush spoke.

Schneider said Sheehan had worn a T-shirt with an anti-war slogan to the speech and covered it up until she took her seat. Police warned her that such displays were not allowed, but she did not respond, the spokeswoman said.

[BurgherHoldtheLies]

1. But purple finger displays are encouraged.

Effin hypocrites!!!

[zbdent]

2. Hell, they let a criminal sit next to Laura Bush

and no, I'm not talking about the primate-in-chief . . .

[CottonBear]

8. What criminals sat next to Pickles this year? I didn't watch. n/t

[zbdent]

15. It was at a previous SOTU

I think it was Ahmed Chalabi . . .

[JuniperLea]

4. Purple up those middle fingers folks!

I got your purple finger here, W.

[LuckyTheDog]

16. Yes

Last year, political demonstrations -- in the form of purple fingers -- were allowed at the SOTU:

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/content/shared/news/nation/stories/0203scene.html

"Our generational commitment to the advance of freedom, especially in the Middle East, is now being tested and honored in Iraq," he said. "We will succeed because the Iraqi people value their own liberty as they showed the world last Sunday."

Supporters stuck their forefingers in the air — not unlike college football fans declaring "We're number one" — as the president spoke.

[fishwax]

22. good point, that was definitely a political display

they don't care about hypocrisy, though, because they can get away with it :grr:

[JuniperLea]

3. MSN Poll

Down on the right... "most popular" section... two polls... Did W convince you and should Cindy have been arrested for wearing a t-shirt...

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11120353/


Not many convinced by W, but it's running half and half that Cindy should be arrested.

[oldtime dfl_er]

6. 52-48 to be exact

Could use a little help!

http://www.cafepress.com/scarebaby/690908

[ChickMagic]

Is it Hitler yet?

She was an invited guest!!!

[br7598]

5. Why didn't she wait?

How come she didn't wat until Bush started his speech before she took off her coat.

I would have loved to see the look on Bush's face.

Either way, Cindy is great. She never stops pushing the envelope.

[ET Awful]

10. Because she wasn't trying to disrupt anything, she was trying to cool

off because she was hot after going to the restroom, going through security again, making her way to her seat, etc.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

11. She was warm from climbing the stairs. She was cooling off,

not protesting.

[goodhue]

14. because her purpose was not in fact to disrupt

http://www.michaelmoore.com/mustread/index.php?id=594

[br7598]

17. She still could have waited

Yeah, but she still wouldn't have disrupted anything. She would have just taken off her jacket like she did.

But then they would have had to arrest her in front of the president and that would definately been more effective.

I mean lets be honest. She knew she was going to get arrested. They warned her about it. And she knew that this is now Bush's america with free speech zones, etc. What she is doing is civil disobedience. Which I agree whole heartedly. But why not get the full effect of the disobedience. Wait until the president comes out, starts his speech. Then allow THEM to make a scene by arresting you as you sit quietly. All cameras would have been on it.

[goodhue]

20. She took off her jacket because she was warm from climbing stairs

It was not intended to be any sort of statement. Did you even read her account?

http://www.michaelmoore.com/mustread/index.php?id=594

My ticket was in the 5th gallery, front row, fourth seat in. The person who in a few minutes was to arrest me, helped me to my seat.

I had just sat down and I was warm from climbing 3 flights of stairs back up from the bathroom so I unzipped my jacket. I turned to the right to take my left arm out, when the same officer saw my shirt and yelled, "Protester." He then ran over to me, hauled me out of my seat and roughly (with my hands behind my back) shoved me up the stairs.

[fishwax]

23. they didn't warn her about it

and she didn't know she would be arrested. At least, that's what she related on http://www.michaelmoore.com ...

[br7598]

26. Ok, We are not stupid here

She knew she would be arrested. I knew she would be arrested. Everyone knew she would be arrested.

Its not right, but thats the point. People who go to Bush speeches and wear t-shirts have been arrested many times, for years. All of us including Cindy have seen it. For tee-shirts, bumper stickers, or whatever.

So drop the "I had no idea" garbage and get real.

It called civil disobedience. When blacks stood in the white restaurants in Mississippi, they knew they would be arrested. Sure they came out later and said they were just minding their own business (which they were). But the fact remains, going in, they knew they would be arrested. That was the whole point of civil disobedience. Its not the same as your everyday protest.

There is absolutely no way that Cindy, who has been neck deep in civil disobedience for a year now, would have beleived that no one would arrest her for wearing that shirt.

All I am saying is, why didn't she wait a few minutes before taking off her jacket "because she was warm". The civil disobedience would have been far more effective.

[fishwax]

28. i didn't even know she was going

so i certainly didn't know she was going to be arrested. I'm just relating her side of the story, as told on http://www.michaelmoore.com. And it doesn't seem unreasonable to me that she didn't realize she would be arrested simply for wearing a shirt. You said they warned her, she said they didn't.

BTW, welcome to DU, br7598 :hi:

[efhmc]

21. Because like most normal people, she cannot stand the sound

of his voice.

[ccpup]

7. A Repug ...

Congressman's wife was also asked to leave because she was wearing a Support the Troops t-shirt. But the difference is she was asked to leave and escorted calmly out of the room (even though she was arguing with the Cops and even threw in a "wait until the president hears about this!") whereas Cindy was yelled at ("Protester!"), forcibly dragged from the room, arrested and incarcerated. There's an obvious double-standard at work and one can only think this disparity will be of some help when Cindy files her lawsuit. Had they asked Cindy to zip up her jacket (which she only unzipped because she was warm from having climbed all those stairs) to cover her t-shirt (which was on from an earlier function with Congressman Conyers), she says she would have. They didn't. They DID ask Mrs. Young, the Congressman's wife, and she adamantly refused, saying it wasn't a protest statement. And, just to sweeten the pot, the Repug Congressman is very upset and plans on investigating this matter more fully.

[SCRUBDASHRUB]

9. Freedom of speech is no longer constitutionally protected.

[americanstranger]

18. Do you have a link for this story?

I've been looking - it's been reported on CNN, and apparently nowhere else.

Who's the Congressman? Is there a news report about this anywhere, or is this disinformation to defuse the issue?

-as

[fishwax]

24. here's a link

I hadn't heard of this story until the previous poster mentioned it, and then i did a news google. Interesting ...

http://www.gainesville.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060201/APX/602010641

[txindy]

31. Funny how the wife is the ONLY source of that story, isn't it?

Do they think we're that stupid? Rhetorical question!

I want to see the pictures they took of her being led out. They had many of Cindy being escorted out, so there are bound to be some of Young's wife, too, esp. after one 'protestor' had already been removed. Even one picture would do.

We'll never see a picture like that. There aren't any. Just Young and his wife calling newspapers and TV stations with their lies.

[fishwax]

25. i hadn't heard that story

thanks for bringing it to our attention, and welcome to DU :hi:

It will be very interesting if the congressman does investigate :rofl:

link to story:
http://www.gainesville.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060201/APX/602010641

[txindy]

30. All stories about Young's wife quote her as the only source

I want to see the many, many pictures taken of her being escorted from the chamber. After all, there are many of Cindy being led out, so there MUST be many of Young's wife being removed. Right? Surely. Of course.

I'll wait for those pictures. I'll be right here.

[dubya_dubya_III]

33. Every bit as unconsritutional

But it does appear that the Sheehan case is not merely 1st amendment in the speech context but now it also appears to be violent hate crime by Capitol Police thugs when one looks at the inequality issue

[MADem]

12. We must never forget the sacrifices of our military families!!!!!!!!

Unless they happen to be GOLD STAR MOTHERS who disagree with the continued slaughter of our youngsters in Eye-Rack, that is!!!!

[Acebass]

13. What does Cindy's ex-lawyer have to say?

http://politicalswitchboard.invisionzone.com/index.php?showtopic=7327&view=findpost&p=43666

[spanone]

19. She should have 'purple inked' her middle finger.

[Solo_in_MD]

27. Innocent Question Here...

A coworker asserted something similar happened during the Clinton impeachment process. Any truth to that?

[efhmc]

29. Seems to be a myth but if true, the person was not arrested.

[DTinAZ]

32. your coworker has been reading Drudge...

...which is where you'll find the fable about a "Dave Delp" who supposedly was removed for wearing a shirt with an obscene message. However, before appearing on Drudge, the only other reference to this is on the FreeRepublic site (back in 2003), so consider the sources.

Drudge link:
http://www.drudgereport.com/flashts.htm

FR (ugh...sorry about this) link:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1022157/posts
(search for "Delp" on the page)

DT

[Solo_in_MD]

35. That he reads Drudge would not surprise me at all

Thx for the good gouge

[lonestarnot]

34. "FREEDOM IS ON THE MARCH." heh heh heh shouldershrug