Don't Bash Bush in Denver

Three Were Told to Leave Bush Town Meeting
By Jim VandeHei
The Washington Post

Wednesday 30 March 2005

Three Denver residents yesterday charged that they were forcibly removed from one of President Bush's town meetings on Social Security because they displayed a bumper sticker on their car condemning the administration's Middle East policies.

The three, all self-described progressives who oppose Bush's Social Security plan, said an unidentified official at an event in Denver last week forced them to leave before the president started to speak, even though they had done nothing disruptive, said their attorney, Dan Recht.

Initially, the three believed Secret Service agents had grabbed them and ushered them out of the auditorium, Recht said. But he said that Lon Garner, the Secret Service agent in charge of the Denver office, told them the service investigated the matter and found it was a "Republican staffer" who removed them because they had a "No More Blood for Oil" bumper sticker on their car.

Garner said yesterday that he was told by headquarters not to comment on the matter, and referred calls to Washington.

Jim Mackin, a spokesman for the Secret Service here, said he could not discuss the allegations that a Republican staff member was involved. "We will continue to look into it," he said. Mackin said a preliminary inquiry found that the Secret Service was not involved in the incident, which was first reported by the Associated Press.

Scott McClellan, Bush's press secretary, said it was a volunteer who asked them to leave "out of concern they might try to disrupt the event." He said the White House welcomes a variety of voices into events but discourages people from coming to heckle the president or disrupt town hall forums. "If someone is coming to try to disrupt it, then obviously that person would be asked to leave," he said. "There is plenty of opportunity outside of the event to express their views."

This is not the first time people have complained about heavy-handed monitoring of who can attend -- and speak at -- Bush's events promoting his Social Security plan. A newspaper in Fargo, N.D., reported that when Bush came to the city on Feb. 3, more than 40 residents were barred from attending the event.

The president has held Social Security rallies in more than a dozen states this year. The crowds are closely monitored for possible disruptions, and protesters are quickly escorted away.

Protesters often stand out because the crowds are packed with Bush supporters, who have been invited by a local GOP House member or organization. Those onstage at most of the town hall meetings are carefully screened people from the area who agree with the president's Social Security proposal. The participants typically rehearse what they will say with members of the president's advance team and rarely, if ever, say anything critical about his plan for private accounts.

In this case, Alex Young, 25; Karen Bauer, 38; and Leslie Weise, 39, said they were forced out even though they said nothing and did not sport T-shirts or signs criticizing the president or his policies. Young told the Associated Press that the three wore T-shirts under their business attire that read "Stop the Lies" and had discussed exposing them during Bush's visit, but decided not to. Recht, who is representing the three pro bono, said his clients consider themselves progressives.

The three were invited to the event by Rep. Bob Beauprez (R-Colo.). Jordan Stoick, spokesman for Beauprez, said the congressman's office distributed the tickets at the behest of the White House to constituents, including many Democrats. He said Beauprez is "definitely" concerned about the charges but is declining to comment on whether he believes them to be true. "He strongly supports free speech," Stoick said.

As described by Recht, a man in a blue suit told the three they had to leave and "in a physical, forcible way" escorted them out, refusing to explain why. Mackin said local law enforcement is in charge of policing civil disobedience at such events, although the Bush advance team is often seen asking disruptive people to leave.

"They believe their constitutional rights were violated, as do I, and that's the stuff lawsuits are made of," Recht said. "When you are punished by not being allowed to listen to your president speak because of speech you have on your bumper sticker, that is a classic First Amendment issue." Recht said he has not decided whether to file a lawsuit.

Pictures Don't Lie

Check this out. You gotta love it. http://forum.truthout.org/blog/story/2005/3/29/184242/299

Juggling for Jesus

A man stands outside the hospice where Terri Schiavo is dying. He is juggling balls. He looks into the news camera and says, “I’m juggling for Jesus!” I think he might be serious, more to the point, I get the feeling that the “liberal” media is doing the same these days: juggling for Jesus, or at least for his market share. Take CNN and Time for example. They have it bad for JC.


Over the last two years, Jesus and his pals have dominated the cover of Time with such features as, “The Secrets of the Nativity,” “The God Gene,” “Faith, God and the Oval Office,” “The Bible and the Apocalypse,” “Why Did Jesus Have to Die?”, “What Jesus Saw,” and a couple others. I haven't read too many of these articles, and I especially need to ask one of my Evangelical friends who have had Jesus over for dinner recently what exactly Jesus saw.

I usually turn to CNN for my news. I’ve always disagreed with those who say it is a liberal outlet. Now I really disagree. CNN evidently stands for the Christian News Network because every time I tune in, there is yet another story about Christianity, in particular, the Evangelicals. As usual, if the media would stop calling so much attention to a particular issue, it wouldn't be such a big deal.

I’m starting to feel like I'm back in Mississippi, and am forced to listen to my high school home-room teacher lead us in prayer. When I turn on my news or pick up a news magazine, I want to know where the latest suicide bomber has attacked, or what civil rights the Republicans have taken away this time. I don't want religion. If I wanted that, I'd listen to one of W's speeches.

Where’s Auntie Mame When We Need Her?

Everyone is talking about Terri Schiavo’s right to live, but all I can think about is Auntie Mame. What would this vibrant, passionate, fun-loving character say about all this? Well, her most famous quote would not be appropriate. “Life is a banquet and most poor sucker’s are starving.” That’s not by Terri’s choice. Or is it? We really don’t know. The only thing for certain is that no media event has been this crazed since OJ.


Someone has put a contract out on Michael Schiavo’s life, in retaliation for Schiavo presumably murdering his wife. This guy, Richard Alan Meywes, probably got this bounty idea from that pesky “eye for an eye” passage from the bible. The same passage that makes people shoot doctors who perform abortions.

All right. I have to say it. What the hell?

Meywes is from North Carolina (of course, he’s Southern) He tried to be her hero and Michael’s judge by sentencing him for a crime that is no crime and is legal. What he’s done is raise the Circus factor on this whole nasty situation. Everyone is committing crimes over Terri. Kids are getting arrested (13 year old twin girls! Sounds like a pervert’s jail fantasy), a 10-year old boy who is not afraid because God is with him. Isn’t God a bit tied up with the people in Iraq, little fella? And now, a contract on Michael Schiavo’s life

I am in the mood to torture myself, so I’ve turned on Fox News. As I type this post, I’m watching protesters outside the hospice where Terri Schiavo is living out her last days possibly. Two old ladies are holding 8.5 x 11 pieces of pink paper that simply says Terri. Actually, it says Terry, with a Y. Isn’t her name spelled with a I? No matter. Next to her, someone has a poster board saying the now famous mantra of the Schindler Supporters: She’s not disabled, She’s not ill, She’s responsive. Her choice?

Okay, the person who wrote that needs a professional marketing person to bullet-point their ideas into a clearer message.

Fox cuts away to a commercial, and their teaser shows two men in the protester pit arguing. A big brut type says, “All we want is for the court’s to hear both sides.” The other guy, who fits the short/bearded/academic stereotype, rebuts with, “but the courts have heard both sides. Twenty times they’ve heard both sides. Twenty times.”

I don’t know how many times this case has been heard. Five or twenty or fifty. I don’t know that Terri is responsive. This is what the protesters say. They are wrong about one thing. She IS ill. She’s brain dead for God’s sake, what doctor would call that healthy? Auntie Mame wouldn’t want to exist that way, that’s for damn sure.

Terri’s lying there in bed, can’t talk, can’t enjoy life, can’t write a blog post, can’t eat a nice thick juicy steak, can’t enjoy a glass of pinot noir, can’t even shop at the Gap. I’m sorry, that isn’t living. That’s called being a Muslim woman.

This is a very gray area situation. I don’t know what is right or wrong, but I do know that if I were in Terri’s place, I would want to die. Hell, I’d want to be put down like a dog, with a nice shot of something strong. Hopefully, my life won’t come to that, and to celebrate the here and now. As Auntie Mame would say, I want to live! Live! Live! And by that, she didn’t mean with a feeding tube inserted into her belly.

Evil Child Attacks Easter Bunny

More proof that kids are getting more and more evil, and I’m sure it’s due to lackadaisical parents. A 12-year old boy in Bay City, Michigan beat up the Easter Bunny. What’s next? Teens involded in a drive-by shooting of Santa? Toddlers mugging the Tooth Fairy?

The Easter Bunny is going to press charges. Good for him. It warms my cold heart and restores my faith a bit in humanity. Kids who commit acts of violence should be punished the same as adults. Best of all, it’s really embarrassing for their parents, which may shame Mommy and Daddy into learning how to parent.

William Meyers Hates Puppies

Actually, that is (probably) not true. But now that I have your attention, if you are so inclinded, please go to the League of Conservation Voters website . The senate is set to vote on the nomination of Meyers as a Senior Federal Judge. His environmental record is as bad as, well, most of W's other cronies. Thanks.

Did the W House Ruin Rather’s Career?

Is having your own personal fake journalist not enough anymore? According to a piece in the New York Observer (hey, it’s La Blogda, what did you want, a link to the New York Times?) by writer Joe Hagan, the White House gave CBS the cold shoulder until Rather stepped down. Then things started to be hunky dory again (or hunky dorky since W is involved.)

Hagan reports that Adam Levine, the assistant White House secretary in charge of television news until January 2004 (and who remains close to W) said CBS News still had “a lot of work to do.”

Levin suggested a scale of one to 100 to measure the relative credibility of news networks with press officials at the White House. He ranked Fox News at 90, NBC News at 80 and CBS News at “about 10.”

Fox News at 90? If that doesn’t lead credence to the notion of the conservative press, nothing does. Please, in the last election Fox declared W the winner as soon as the results from the first state came in.