Is this lady the coolest or what?
According to ProgressNowAction, that pesky First Amendment interfered with one of Sen. John McCain's supposedly public town hall meetings:
Fortunately, these folks weren't dealing with just anybody. They were dealing with a librarian. As Rachel Maddow said on Countdown, those people are "trained democracy super heroes."
The incident was captured on videotape and posted on YouTube:
Ed Brayton at the excellent blog Dispatches from the Culture Wars has a post on it as well.
So here's what I'd like to propose: We need to teach those folks who would bully 61-year-old ladies into giving up their constitutionally protected free speech rights as to just what the First Amendment is all about. So next time McCain comes to your town, convince your Mom to hold up a similarly worded sign. When the security thugs enlist the local police force, you tell your Mom that defense of the First Amendment is worth getting arrested for. Tell her it would make her the bestest Mom ever. You know she'd do it if you ask. Moms are like that. I know my mother plans to be there. Just as soon as I ask her.
Lauri in York
On orders from McCain's security detail, Denver police escorted a 61-year-old woman away who was waiting in line to attend a so-called town hall meeting with McCain that was billed as open to the public.
Fortunately, these folks weren't dealing with just anybody. They were dealing with a librarian. As Rachel Maddow said on Countdown, those people are "trained democracy super heroes."
The incident was captured on videotape and posted on YouTube:
Ed Brayton at the excellent blog Dispatches from the Culture Wars has a post on it as well.
So here's what I'd like to propose: We need to teach those folks who would bully 61-year-old ladies into giving up their constitutionally protected free speech rights as to just what the First Amendment is all about. So next time McCain comes to your town, convince your Mom to hold up a similarly worded sign. When the security thugs enlist the local police force, you tell your Mom that defense of the First Amendment is worth getting arrested for. Tell her it would make her the bestest Mom ever. You know she'd do it if you ask. Moms are like that. I know my mother plans to be there. Just as soon as I ask her.
Lauri in York
Labels: free speech, Senator John McCain
posted by ACLU of Pennsylvania at 7/10/2008 11:32:00 AM
2 Comments:
The best part of it is the very end where she asks a VERY good question:
If the Republicans involved in the gathering voted for Bush, TWICE, then what's so bad about a sign reading "McCain = Bush"?
That shouldn't be offensive, should it? :-)
The trouble is, while the charges will likely be dropped and she can maybe sue, the McCain campaign got their way - she was removed from their Town Meeting.
The Bush administration has been playing this game with the courts since way back when it was the Bush campaign. It's a sort of political Red Queen Race where both sides keep running and neither ever advances - and Bush got elected twice.
Like it or not, they keeping doing this because it works. The bad press might hurt a little, but not as much as a crowd of protesters outside the rally.
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