Hey, look everyone, it's America's favorite mom!

[Ice]

http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/01/...est/index.html

Peace activist Cindy Sheehan was arrested on a charge that could lead to a year in jail.

Peace. Haha, I love cnn!

[Strike For The South]

http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/01/...est/index.html


Peace. Haha, I love cnn!

Well she is... Just Not a very good one and she is to the dems what good ol pat is to the republicans

[Major Robert Dump]

She is a tool. I hope she has to go to jail.

[Ice]

Well she is... Just Not a very good one and she is to the dems what good ol pat is to the republicans

I guess peace is relative. I honestly think she's doing more harm then good. Kind of funny that she suddenly turned pro peace when her son was killed. Wants to put the blame on someone.

[Strike For The South]

The bottom line for me is her son joined the milatary and seemed to know what he was getting into. Its not like this thing came out of left feild she didnt wake up one morning and read the fine print. Its like your son being a firefighter and then when he does you sue the depatment. She has grief and shes angry but she has misplaced it all and lost any shred of sympathy orcredibality.

[Alexander the Pretty Good]

Plus she's an attention... you know...

She really likes attention, in a gratifying manner, I think.

[Divinus Arma]

I used to despise Cindy Sheehan because she embraced the media machine that used her as a tool to play politics with grief. She disgusted me because she has no real intelligence, no real talent, no real solutions. She is a creation of the media who ended up enjoying the warm light of flashbulbs and spotlights. I didn't know who was worse: The media for creating the monster, or the monster for loving the media.


Now I love Cindy Sheehan. Her antics are destructive to the media and to the political machinations that have embraced her self-promotion.


Cindy Sheehan is everything that the average American fears from the screaming liberal fringe of American society.


Thank you congresswoman, for inviting Cindy to the State of the Union where she would again, predictably, demand the media's attention once again.


In this instance, Cindy stole the Democrats "rebuttal" and robbed them of a chance to introduce their new favorite son. He spoke of a "better way". She rolled out a giant anti-war banner.


Maybe she is a Republican agent in disguise?

[AntiochusIII]

In this instance, Cindy stole the Democrats "rebuttal" and robbed them of a chance to introduce their new favorite son. He spoke of a "better way". She rolled out a giant anti-war banner.

Is it just me or that guy's voice is incredibly, for a lack of better word, squeamishly "soft?"

The guy seems to be advocating nonpartisanship all the way, and an alternative way to the Republicans. Quite a wise move, I'd say, save for the fact that Mrs. I-can't-get-enough-spotlight-for-my-dead-son's-cold-body takes away all the audience.

I'd rather have a candidate with MLK's voice, lol. Speechs would be more fun. Bush's is no better, either. The 51 minutes State of the Union is the most boring show in the entire cable -- counting Reality Shows (tm).

[Lazul]

Wait, so its not allowed to have anti-war t-shirts? Freedom my ass.

Dont get me wrong, she's aint my favorite person, but what would the bushites gain her being tossed in jail... from there she will be more of a marter then anything ells.

[doc_bean]

Wait, so its not allowed to have anti-war t-shirts? Freedom my ass.

That pretty msums up my view too.

[Don Corleone]

Clearly I'm no leftist, yet that was my immediate reaction watching the news on CNBC over coffee this morning... WTF Unless the t-shirt had obsceneties on it, I fail to see how they could arrest her for wearing it. Not sure who looks worse in this exchange...

[Seamus Fermanagh]

Kaine's vocal style is the antithesis of Governor Dean. While he's been teh governor here in the Old Dominion for less than 3 weeks -- hardly enough time to sense how he'll handle things -- he did defeat a classic Republican candidate in a solidly Republican state. Very few people are good enough on the podium to pull off a high-energy style like MLK and seem natural doing so.


Sheehan is a convert to peacenikism and is preaching with all of the passion of a convert. I cannot know how I would respond to the untimely death of my child in a war I didn't understand, so I'll refrain from judging her.


Her counterpoint to Kaine's efforts, however, are quite symptomatic of the Democrat problem. They are of two minds, and do not seem to be able to build a coalition (or pick a single philosophical theme) between the passions of their extreme wing and the goals of their more centrist elements. Hard to seem them doing well nationally while they are a political Sybil.


51 minutes! I abhore SOU's! I DREAM of a prez who'll talk for 20 minutes on 3 things and send the rest to Congress in a published letter.

[Xiahou]

Wait, so its not allowed to have anti-war t-shirts? Freedom my ass.

It was more than a t-shirt, she also tried to unfurl a banner and hang it over the balcony. You're not supposed to have shirts/signs/whatever that say anything. You're supposed to shutup, listen, and not make a spectacle of yourself. She was free to join the protests outside with the others if she wanted to. Can you imagine what a circus it'd be if every jerk with an axe to grind was allowed to protest in the gallery?

She's gotta be so pleased with herself now, getting arrested has got her plastered all over the news again- no doubt her intention.

[doc_bean]

It was more than a t-shirt, she also tried to unfurl a banner and hang it over the balcony. You're not supposed to have shirts/signs/whatever that say anything. You're supposed to shutup, listen, and not make a spectacle of yourself. She was free to join the protests outside with the others if she wanted to. Can you imagine what a circus it'd be if every jerk with an axe to grind was allowed to protest in the gallery?

She's gotta be so pleased with herself now, getting arrested has got her plastered all over the news again- no doubt her intention.

In this country, you get taken away and put in jail for maximum one day. Maybe you get a fine for disturbing the peace, but I doubt it. You don't get 1 year for expressing an opinion in a non-violent manner.

The first amendment protects 'fake' kiddie porn but not wearing a T shirt or flying a banner ?


BTW this isn't about a left vs right debate, if someone was wearing a T shirt saying 'support the troops' in a peace rally, it would be their right too.

[Goofball]

Clearly I'm no leftist, yet that was my immediate reaction watching the news on CNBC over coffee this morning... WTF Unless the t-shirt had obsceneties on it, I fail to see how they could arrest her for wearing it. Not sure who looks worse in this exchange...

Thank you Don for being the voice of reason here.

No matter what you think of Sheehan, when you have a government that starts arresting people because they disagree with the t-shirt they are wearing, you should really start to get a little scared.

Or can I assume then, that if the Democrats are in power, they will be well within their rights to arrest people for wearing shirts that say "Guns don't kill people, people kill people?"

[BDC]

Why was she arrested for wearing a tshirt? Surely that should be upheld as a fine example of the liberty Bush is so keen to talk about?

Britain had its 100th combat death recently, and they interviewed some of the soldier's mothers on the radio. "I was really angry but now I realise that for him we need to help the Iraqis have peace."

I think our tools are used much better than your tools.

[Major Robert Dump]

Can't have political messages in there on shirts or posters. One congreemans wife was ejected for a support the troops shirt as well

[Seamus Fermanagh]

Quite true, MRD.

How'd Ms. Sheehan end up arrested?

I understand she was asked to leave, as was the Congressman's spouse (I assume they could have returned having excused themselves and turned the shirts inside out) as any sloganeering in the gallery is prohibited (by House rules if I recall).

Did she truly try to throw out a banner and was that it?

[Duke Malcolm]

Britain had its 100th combat death recently, and they interviewed some of the soldier's mothers on the radio. "I was really angry but now I realise that for him we need to help the Iraqis have peace."

I think our tools are used much better than your tools.

I heard that little interview... moving...
But not all mothers are like this. Rose Gentle, the mother of a Royal Highland Fusilier who died, I believe, has met with this Sheehan woman on several occassions and has much a similar approach. She complained her son had not been given enough training, even though he had been in the Army for a year and completed all the training courses...

[Major Robert Dump]

I havent seen anything about a banner, just that it was a shirt about dead troops asking "homw many more" or something. Regardless, places like the house chambers, and court houses, etc can make their own rules about appropriate attire, although there is an old supreme court case where a guy wore a shirt to jury duty that said "Fk the draft" and the judge had him arrested. In that case, he was arrested becuase of the message, not because the court had a no message policy -- in this case it didn't.

My county court doesn't allow shorts or tank tops or ball caps and you will be sent home and fined if you show up like that. Can't speak for any federal courts, but I'm sure similar rules are in place there as well as the supreme court.

I'm not saying I like limiting free speech on government property, but it is within the law. That is why presidents often make appearances in places where people won't be allowed to protest. It's a little discerning these days that cities pass ordinances requiring permits to march, or the person who is gonna get protested sets up a 20X20 "freee speech zone" to comply with protesztors, or the idea of being a disruptive protestor has gone from blocking traffic and hurting commerce to just "being loud"

Anyway, the rules were in place before last night. People were removed during Clintons speeches as well.

[Xiahou]

No matter what you think of Sheehan, when you have a government that starts arresting people because they disagree with the t-shirt they are wearing, you should really start to get a little scared.

Oh give me a break.
You act like Bush pointed her out and said "seize her" to the Secret Service, when it's standard procedure. It was handled by the gallery stewards.

Or can I assume then, that if the Democrats are in power, they will be well within their rights to arrest people for wearing shirts that say "Guns don't kill people, people kill people?"

If they were displaying them in the capitol building gallery and refused requests to leave? You bet they would. During the impeachment hearings, people were ejected for wearing anti-Clinton shirts.

In this country, you get taken away and put in jail for maximum one day. Maybe you get a fine for disturbing the peace, but I doubt it. You don't get 1 year for expressing an opinion in a non-violent manner.

She's not going to get a year- that's more media sensationalism. I'd be surprised if she gets a week.

[Major Robert Dump]

HOUSE RULES STATE NO SHIRTS WITH POLITICAL MESSAGES OF ANY KIND. PERIOD. THIS IS A DEAD ISSUE.

If you want to whine about free speech being limited there are plenty of other cases, especially with Bush, where peoples views were squelched thanks to clever city ordinances and strategic location of the speaker. This was a common thing with Clinton as well.

This is not the white horse to start your crusade for freedom of speech. she broke a rule. she knew better

[spmetla]

Although I can't stand her and have never liked the way I feel that she disrespects what her son did arresting her was wrong. I can understand if she was removed from the premises but arresting her is overboard.

[Xiahou]

Although I can't stand her and have never liked the way I feel that she disrespects what her son did arresting her was wrong. I can understand if she was removed from the premises but arresting her is overboard.

My understanding is that she was only arrested after refusing requests to leave. Honestly, who are we kidding? Her whole intention was to get arrested- she wouldn't have settled for anything less. And it's paid off for her too, she's back in the headlines again.

[Vladimir]

15 min 30 sec...Maybe something's wrong with my watch .

[BDC]

There were stop the war people in town here!

Sick people. Using the death of the hundredth volunteer soldier for their own reasons.

I'm not even sure what they are protesting for. We're stuck there until the mess is sorted out. It's just like a general "we don't like Blair" protest.

[Tribesman]

It was more than a t-shirt, she also tried to unfurl a banner and hang it over the balcony
Have you a link to the banner bit , none of the sources I have viewed mention it at all ?

[Major Robert Dump]

After the may 3rd 1999 tornado that did half a billion dollars damage to oklahoma city, Bill Clinton came to town to give a speech since it was declared a disaster zone.

In one of the neighborhoods where all the houses had been leveled and facing a portion of Tinker Air Base where Clinton would be speaking, a man painted on the only remaining standing wall of his house "Hey President Clinton, how's this for a blow job?"

He got a visit from 3 SS agents

The Secret Service insisted that it be covered or removed, and told the home owner they would find something to charge him with, like disturbing the peace or indecency if he didn't. Keep in mind this was private property, where about 100 yards to the east was the building where Clinton would be, with a 6 lane city street and a 20 foot tall chain link barbed fence in between.

He complied.

[Xiahou]

It was more than a t-shirt, she also tried to unfurl a banner and hang it over the balcony
Have you a link to the banner bit , none of the sources I have viewed mention it at all ?

Hmm, initial reports on CNN spoke of a banner. Also, I saw Kate Bailey Hutchison talk about Sheehan using a banner during an interview this morning and figured it was credible since she was actually there. But, they seem to be talking only about a t-shirt now....

No matter, Tshirts with slogans have long been banned and gotten people on both ends of the spectrum thrown out, so apparently that's enough.

[Major Robert Dump]

So I couldn't wear my "I support Single Moms" shirt with a silhoutte of a stripper on a pole?