Texas Couple Arrested for Wearing Anti-Bush Shirts at July 4 Campaign Stop

Come now, be fair and accurate, Foxy!

The article <b>itself</b> says that their arrest was for Trespassing.

It may be proven that that was a trumped up charge, but that is what the article says.

 

Irony rocks. Your posts in this thread have been the most anti-American stuff I have ever read in this forum. And there's been a great lot of competition. Your stuff wins far and away. It's not even close. This is, of course, a rhetorical question and it's not in any way meant to be cute, but I have to ask. Why do you hate America?

 

Love America. Hate Dylan.

How does it feel?

 

I better not say I hate the Lakers. Because, I might be locked up; temporality of course. At least until they remove me from the backdrop of the Laker rallies. They don't need the "bad PR" right? Only, "Happy Laker fans" allowed in those news reports. Sigh...

Ok, silliness aside...

Words, words, words....anyone can spin words....

Main Entry: criminal
Function: noun
1 : one who has committed a crime
2 : a person who has been convicted of a crime

Steal a piece a bubble gum. Yep, a "criminal." Deserves 10 years of prison? Hmmm, no. The "crime" doesn't fit the punishment.

But, hey. At least it's useful for technicalities and debates in semantics. Maybe they should have changed the T-Shirts to read "dislike Bush." Think it would have mad any difference? Uh, I think not.

To Dislike, to disapprove, to pass unfavorable judgment on...Uh, oh. Passing jumment? That might be construed as "violent!" Lock'em up!

So. sure. You can use technicalities and definitions all you want. But under that guise is just a attempt to use the law to avoid any bad press for Bush. Nice use of power, huh?

 

Republicans don't protest.

Or, sadly, vote enough.

 

If you're saying what I think you're saying, you just moved into T_J territory - surely you're just trying to incite people.

If I understand you correctly, you're saying that your thoughts should be monitored by the police because it *may* lead to something.

Wow. That is the thought police, no matter what justification you attempt.

 

Nobody votes enough in the United States. There's no reason to break it down by party, race, religion, etc.

 

Horsesh*t, It's not OK. That's my government. I can criticize it or it's leaders all I want, especially when they are in person to hear me. If I am not posing a physical thread to the President or another public official and I am not violating any laws, they are not under the law allowed to do jack crap to me. Is this administration so weak that it can't tolerate opposing views at political rallies?
I have seen John Kerry speak and I have seen him handle protesters, WITH WORDS, not by throwing them out or having the Secret Service arrest them (he gets Secret Service protection, too). If the current president is too simple minded to handle an opposing view with words instead of locking them up, then we need a new one.

"Freedom is the right to question and change the established way of doing things." - Ronald Reagan

 

If you've ever seen "12 Angry Men" you would see that this argument is flawed. Just because you say something like that doesn't mean you'll act like on it or like it. In "12 Angry Men" they were having the discussion about the statement "I'll kill you" and said that just because somebody says that it doesn't mean they would actually kill you but they were just very upset at the time. Just like if you said or demonstrated you hate somebody or something, I hate the Lakers but I'm not going to go assassinate Kobe or blow up the Staples Center. I hate my sister's ex-husband but I'm not going to put a hit out on him. The couple that got arrested may hate the current president but that doesn't mean they should be arrested. Reading this forum, newspapers, etc. and listening to the media there are a lot people who feel the same way or worse than this couple

 

I know you have a great sense of humor, Chance, so this was a joke, right?? Because that doesn't describe many Republicans I know or have read about, or have seen in news coverage. They vote a lot and a minority of them protest when the spirit moves them. Democrats, however, don't vote enough and the minority who protest various issues are just that... a minority.

Not nearly enough people in both parties vote enough or get involved in the process enough to get out and protest. See, I think peaceful protest is a good thing. I don't care who does it, as long as they don't overly disrupt traffic on a regular basis or are for unreasonable toll roads.

The number of Americans involved in the political process is a national scandal. Compared to Europeans, for example, we a apathetic.

Maybe I should saw pathetic.

 

Damn Skippy!

 

So, those pro-lifers in front of Planned Parenthood were Green?

 

It is strange to see how many people really don't value our freedoms. Iroc it clearly has provided a clear example of this. I honestly never thought it would be as real as this. I'm far more terrified that there are more people out there who feel the same way as I am of any terrorist attack.

Terrorist attacks will be endured and we will fight against those attacks, but when there is a will among the people that our freedoms aren't worth upholding, then we've lost our nation.

I think clearly people like Iroc it are in the minority, and most folks, even in this thread are against the kind of clamp down against freedom exemplified in this story. In the end the people weren't charged, and most people wouldn't stand for our freedoms to be removed like that. But the fact that some are not only willing, but apparently even applaude it is scary to me.

Remember the first two words on the t-shirts of these well educated Americans. It said 'Love America'

 

Pro Life psychos are twisted forks. I'll trade you those wack jobs for your tree huggers any day.

 

I'm going to go take that no Bush in '04 bumper sticker off my truck.

If I drive past DeLay's office in Sugarland it might be interpreted as a threat.

I don't wanna spend time in the slammer.

 

I love America. The problem is the real issue is the secret service system has been in place for decades. I hate having to point out that this is not inherently a "Republican" problem or issue...

This reaches every single party, even a third party candidate is protected by such laws.

You do realize that this was already taken from "thought" to the action of putting onto a t-shirt? Right? Some action moving with a feeling was taken, all more reason to squelch it before it get s bigger (remember, we the people have allowed the secret service to exist all this time... it's NOT the Republican Guard).

1984 was a good book. Read it. Reported on it. As this may be closer to it than previous outbursts in previous political situations, this is not in any way the exact same. Actions had been taken. Let's look at the facts. Not the "feelings" involved based on partisanship.

They were detained for trespassing, and the charges were dropped. How is that in any way "the crime doesn't fit the punishment?"

Sounds like leniency to me. Drop the charges, keep the record clean... in light of an "all clear." An admission of a "mistake" perhaps... as if to say "sorry for the inconvienience, but we gotta cover all the bases these days."

Again. This may be a precedent, but shouldn't from now on be the normative response. The "oiffense" in question will most likely be avoided from here out.

If more people trespass on property at an event wearing hate slogans on their clothing however, I would expect a similar response. Try it. If it's unfair, it still may happen... because the secret service may feel the threat is real. The are copy cats.... some harmless, some more harmful. But I doubt the secret service will ever risk it again.

And no, I'm not Traitor_Enrique... I've ridden an "icky train." More than a few times to say the least, for the purpose of transit. Not just to "explore" the left.

Like I said start a "secret service reform party" or something.

 

Dude, nothing against you but, X Pac and HHH? 1998 was like 6 years ago, leave it there.

 

It has to do with abuse of power, and squelching freedom, not the fact that the secret service exists. This is inherently a problem of the party involved. Others pointed out protestors at different candidates campaign stops, and there haven't been arrests made. At only one campaign stop were people arrested.

Putting on a t-shirt is action!? If putting on a t-shirt that in no way advocates violence is action, then we are all in trouble. 'They were wearing a t-shirt that said they loved our country but didn't like our president.' Being worried and scared about that is the wimpiest thing I've ever seen. Again the secret service isn't the problem, but the use of them to stop free speech is a problem, and not allowing them to do it is why freedom loving Americans are upset about what happened, and do want it stopped. Any action in support of the couple's arrest is an action in support of squashing freedom, and contrary to our nation's ideals.

 

I hope to god this kind of thinking is not representative of more than a very few misguided, freaked out Americans. It is far, far, far more dangerous than anything any terrorist could ever do to us. Some of the stuff I've read in this thread seriously scares the hell out of me.