SwiftVets.com

[Craig]

This is a newsgroup post. I have seen this complain again and again over the past few years. Folks with pro-Bush signs can stand anywhere they want while and and all who show any indication of Bush or Bush policies are banned to "Free Speech Zones"
Can't really say that is Orwellian in practice but is certainly so in definition
http://www.newspeakdictionary.com/ns-prin.html
Well, Big Brother would have had them reeducated.

============================================
Ward Reilly, of Baton Rouge, La., is a member of Veterans For Peace and
Vietnam Veterans Against the War.
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Oh no, another American who served [Hint..Hint, George] and is against the
war.

Silvio
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http://www.smirkingchimp.com/print.php?sid=16374


Free Speech Zones In the USA?


By Ward Reilly, Baltimore Chronicle

"Free Speech Zones" in the U.S.A.? I thought our entire nation was a "Free
Speech Zone." I thought that is what "freedom of speech" meant in our
Constitution. That we could say anything we wanted, anywhere on public
property where we wanted to say it. What was I thinking? Welcome to "Free
Speech, 2004, "Dubya" Bush Style."

On Friday morning, May 21st, 2004, during a visit to my city by President
George W. Bush, I learned what it means to live in a country when "free
speech" means something entirely different if you don't happen to agree with
what your President, and/or his cabinet, have done in your name.

On this day, all good "pro-Bush" citizens in Baton Rouge, Louisiana got to
stand along the curbside of Dalrymple Drive in hopes of catching a glimpse of
the most powerful man on Earth, as he rode by them on his way to speak to the
graduates at LSU.

"Superman at LSU," you ask? Not exactly, but President Bush was here. Now,
having a sitting President visit is normally quite an honor in itself, kind-
of, but Bush's fans on Dalrymple Drive just didn't have any good luck that
day. The President chose a different route leading to the Assembly Center,
and so the Bush fans went along their merry way without having caught a
glimpse of their leader.

I, on the other hand, an old ex-Infantry veteran from long ago, was forced to
stand 100 feet from Dalrymple Drive, in the direct Louisiana summer sun,
hidden behind some of the beautiful giant oak trees growing alongside
Dalrymple Drive at Highland Road, even though I had planned, with several
other groups, to protest along the curbside on Dalrymple Drive.

But because I was not "pro-Bush", and because I carried a sign, I wasn't
allowed to do what I planned. A sign of protest? How devious! How DANGEROUS!
It's enough to suspend the Bill Of Rights, right? WRONG!

At LSU on Friday, May 21st, "Free Speech," as designated by law, was only to
be allowed for "anti-war" citizens that were willing to stand in a roped-off
35 foot square, 100 feet from the road. My sign said "Veterans For Peace, No
WAR" on one side, and "The DUBYA--M-D's ARE IN THE WHITE HOUSE" on the other.
Not exactly controversial. Not exactly threatening. It just said that I'm
against this Iraq "war," and I don't like this President. I have been against
this war since way before it even started, and I will be that way until the
last U.S. soldier is home from there.

We had a legal permit to demonstrate against this war and President Bush, a
permit from the Secret Service, as enforced by the LSU police. When our group
of demonstrators arrived on Dalrymple Drive that morning to protest this
visit, an LSU policeman told us that we had to stand in a 35-foot fenced-in
square, exactly 100' from Dalrymple Drive, for "security" reasons, under the
threat of arrest if we didn't. We refused to stand in that thing, but we did
not get arrested. (It would have been funny if all the protestors had stood
in the little square and said "MOO" over and over, like cattle do.)

Directly across the street from the "free speech zone," about 25 "pro-Bush"
citizens stood along the curb and waited for the President. I was selected as
spokesman for our group, so I asked the LSU police Sarge, "Why can those
people stand along the curb but we can't?" The Sarge said, and I quote,
"Because they are pro-Bush, and they don't have signs".... damn, it was my
sign's fault!

At the end of the demonstration some of us demonstrators entered the little
roped-off square, pulled up the stakes holding it in place, and proceeded to
walk all around the Parade Grounds of LSU, inside the world's first
government-issued "Moving Free Speech Zone." FOX News filmed it, and they
even showed us marching around in our captured "free speech zone" on New
Orleans TV.

So let me get this straight--and also let me present this to you, and you
decide what is wrong with this picture. If you are "pro-Bush," you need no
permit to stand along the edge of the road, and no security is necessary if
you decide that you want to get as close to the President as you can. The
police checked none of them, asked them for no permits, and allowed those
people to line the street within only inches of where the President would be
riding.

So if I were a terrorist or an assassin trying to "hit" our President, all I
would have needed to do in order to get only inches away from him, would have
been to say nothing, get no permit, and carry no sign.

I just don't get it. Do you get it?

Did I mention that a lot of men and women have died in war thinking that
their sacrifice would guarantee that something like this would never happen
to me or you in the United States of America? Maybe if our "War President"
had shown up when it was his turn to fight in a war, this wouldn't have
happened to us when he did show up somewhere, like here in Baton Rouge on May
21, 2004.

Nice of you to show up George. At least it was nice if you were a "pro-Bush-
non-sign-carrying-pro-war" type. Please don't come back here. You could have
been a world hero, instead of being a world criminal, at least in my eyes.
Could have, but never more.

The Infantry wasn't too bad for me...I'm here. At least I can still write
about "free speech," even if I can't practice it. Peace George, from Baton
Rouge. Stop the war, and bring the troops home now.

P.S.--I "captured" the "Free Speech Zone," and it now is an "Anti-War
Trophy" in my music room, with my military decorations and awards. I think it
is safe for me to say that it is the only captured and portable "Free Speech
Zone" in the world, and I will treasure it for the rest of my life.

Ward Reilly, of Baton Rouge, La., is a member of Veterans For Peace and
Vietnam Veterans Against the War.

Copyright © 2004 The Baltimore Chronicle.

-- Bush's speech featured a slide show which he called the "White House Election-Year Album." One photo showed the president looking under furniture. He captioned it: "Those weapons of mass destruction have got to be somewhere." "That's supposed to be funny?" -- John F. Kerry Yes. It is called self-depricating humor. -- Michael Robar, Gahanna, Ohio "I liked President Bush's jokes but his delivery was off." -- Scott, AKA 3Phrase

[Scott]

That's appalling. Right up there with McCain-Feingold's blackout on political speech.

Unfortunately, the Democrats seem to think it's a good idea too, and are allegedly proposing a "free-speech zone" for protesters at the Democratic convention in Boston this July:

www.commondreams.org/headlines04/0220-02.htm

[Navy_Navy_Navy]

Pish-tosh, appalling my butt. It's just another way to manage an appearance.

Bet you didn't think it was so terrible when Clinton did it.
_________________
~ Echo Juliet ~
Altering course to starboard - On Fire, Keep Clear
Navy woman, Navy wife, Navy mother

[Scott]

[Craig]

[Navy_Navy_Navy]

[Scott]

I think you misunderstand my post just a bit (at least I hope so). I voted for George Bush and intend to do so again. I have never, in twenty years, been convinced to vote for John Kerry as a Senator from Massachusetts.

I don't think that preventing the disruption of a funeral (which is understandable - exclude all demonstrators to preserve the dignity of the event) is the same as allowing "pro" demonstrators to go wherever they want while isolating "anti" demonstrators. I don't care whether Republicans or Democrats are doing it; I don't like it either way.

If isolating potentially violent factions from each other is the point, then specify separate areas for both; not just one group.

[Craig]

[Jeremy Eaton]

[Scott]

More on the shenanigans leading up to the Democratic convention in Boston.

Lots of people around here were extremely unhappy with the announcement that almost 40 miles of roads will be closed into and out of the center of Boston during each day of the convention.

www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2004/05/21/massive_closing_of_roads_set_for_convention_week?mode=PF

But when Senator Kerry floated his proposal to postpone his acceptance of the candidacy until after the convention in order to delay going under the end-game campaign finanance cap, even Mayor Menino and the state's leading Democrats went nuts.

www.boston.com/news/politics/president/kerry/articles/2004/05/26/kerry_to_accept_nomination_at_convention/

It certainly didn't make John Kerry more popular with his current constituents.

[Navy_Navy_Navy]

[Navy_Navy_Navy]

[Jeremy Eaton]

Navy 3 .... well done!
At least we agree that MLK was a great man. I actually meant to type conscience.
I find it a bit ironic though... MLK was an activist, who believed in protests, who did civil disobedience, and was considered for most of his life to be an enemy of the state.
So now Bush who now comes to "honor" him holds the protestors at bay. That's why I find this ceremony to be rife with hypocrisy.
It makes me wonder why you think he's a great man. Seriously, let me know. Why do you think that? I know why I do, but I'm interested in why you do.
I see this "ceremony" as a sort of a political publicity stunt, with a cynical tacit wink to all those who continue MLK's work. The current administrations policies, I believe don't serve the interests of minorities or move toward a more tolerant society. If you think I'm wrong, then by all means, please explain why. Otherwise I hope you'll forgive me, if I doubt the sincerity of our president when I hear of his paying homage. I believe that he serves the interests of money, and not the people of the USA.

[Navymomx2]

I thought I would pass this along. This is from an email I recieved from a Navymom group. This is her personal experience dealing with Anti-War Protesters. I am sorry, but they should never have been allowed so close to the cemetary. All I can say is this is the typical Anti-war protester style, I have seen it in my area many many times. Yes, they have the right to free speech to which I will defend, but that does not give them the right to treat people the way they did whther arriving at a cemetary or at any other location. I am just thankful that the ceremony that took place at our veterans cemetary was respected.

[hist/student]

retracted