First they arrest dissenters whom wear t-shirts, now they won't allow anyone to listen to speeches by our elected leaders without swearing an oath... WTF?! Some Democrats seeking Cheney tickets had to sign oath By RICHARD BENKE Associated Press Writer RIO RANCHO, N.M. (AP) -- Some Democrats who signed up to hear Vice President Dick Cheney speak here Saturday were refused tickets unless they signed a pledge to endorse President Bush. The measure was a security step designed to avoid a disruption, which Bush campaign spokesman Dan Foley alleged Democrats were planning. Democratic Party officials denied it. Several Democrats, at least, encountered the screening measures Thursday after calling from a line that self-identified as ACT, America Coming Together, an activist group that supports Kerry, Foley said. Others attempted to give false names and were denied tickets, he said. Two men who had sought tickets reported they were required to give name, address, phone number, e-mail address and driver's license number, then were presented the pledge of endorsement when they arrived to pick up the tickets Thursday. One of them, John Wade of Albuquerque, said he signed the pledge because he wanted the tickets but then changed his mind. "I got to thinking this is not right," Wade said. "They're excluding people -- that's what has me so upset." He returned the tickets and campaign workers returned his pledge. Vietnam veteran Michael Ortiz y Pino said he refused to sign the pledge and was refused tickets. Ortiz y Pino said he was asked if he associated with veterans, pro-life, gun rights or teacher groups. Neither man wanted to give driver's license numbers but did so. "I said why do you need that?" Ortiz y Pino said. A campaign worker, he said, replied: "Secret Service stuff." Kerry campaign spokesman Ruben Pulido Jr. said there had been no plan by the campaign to disrupt Cheney's event. "I think that every American should have the right to see their vice president and hear from him firsthand what he plans to do for our country," Pulido said. He also said the Kerry campaign had not attempted to screen Bush supporters out of Kerry's appearance at the National Hispanic Cultural Center in Albuquerque on July 9. On that occasion, about a dozen Bush supporters wearing flip-flop beach sandals began chanting "Viva Bush" and waved their flip-flops over their heads. They contend Kerry has flip-flopped on the war. The incident ended peacefully. For Saturday's event, Foley, a New Mexico legislator, said the Cheney campaign didn't want supporters denied places that might be taken by detractors. Some Democrats who are Bush supporters were welcomed without signing anything, he said. The endorsement pledges, he said, were for screening purposes, not for any advertisement listing names of Democrats who support Bush. Foley asked of the Kerry-Edwards campaign: "How many tickets did you give to Bush-Cheney supporters from New Mexico to hear Senator Kerry's speech tonight at the Democratic National Convention?" Asked if Cheney might discuss a terrorism warning issued Thursday for New Mexico, Foley said he did not know. Richard Fox, a political science instructor at a local community college, said attempts to screen political events is commonplace. But he said: "This pledge or this 'loyalty oath' -- quote-unquote -- to me is unheard of." http://www.casperstartribune.net/ar.../wyoming/63b4fcb928fe8e6987256ee10054e715.txt
Rio Rancho, New Mexico? Weren't Richard Roma, Sheldon Lavigne, et al trying to pitch real estate out there in Glengarry Glenross? Anyways, this isn't really a surprise, given the increasing unrest on both sides.
They put the orange jumpsuit on you, declare you an "enemy combatant", and give you a one way ticket to Gitmo.
This is not that unusual for either party. Bush and Kerry has been in Ohio alot and generally what they do is give all the tickets to their respective campaign HQ to pass out. They first give tickets to the donors (obviously), then they screen everone else who is to receive tickets. They're not going to hand out 1000 tickets randomly and hope all their supporters end up with the tickets. Again it happens with both parties this is not a Cheney or GOP thing. The last thing a politician wants is to have their rally interrupted. And to be honest this election has everyone so fired up that I would think a vocal opponent to the candidate in the crowd would probably be physically abused.
Please cite an instance where the Democrats/Kerry has forced entrants to a rally to sign a loyalty pledge.
I went to a rally for Kerry here and there were Republicans in the audience that were banging flip flops together. They weren't attacked verbally or physically. They were just drowned out when Kerry spoke and the audience responded positively. eventually, they just gave up and walked away.
I earnestly await our dear giddy's response! Oh, which brand of spin-cycle shall we see? Yet another incident that's alarming to me. We have a pair of radicals, in the White House ensconced. Oh, what on earth are they going to do next? Just thinking about it has me quite vexed. Their radical fellows in the Congress applaud, Every dissembling support of their fraud. The fraud being unity, when division they preach. Everywhere their $200 million can reach. Now which brand of spin-cycle shall we see, For the next incident that's alarming to me? There will be more, that's a certainty, And it's very, very alarming to me.
I didn't say there was a document to sign, just the fact it happens (screening) on both parties. The document is new to me but the same process happens everywhere (meaning it's easy for liberals to see kerry and easy for conservatives to see Bush at the rallies).
No matter what side you fall on. When did it become practice in America to stop people from attending speeches made by our politicians or government? When did we start letting one type of people in and not the other? When did we start saying, "you can but you can't"? I can't believe that America has become a place where discourse is stifled and frowned upon! Unbelievable!
And another thing! Doesn't it say something when we have our elected officials cordoned off by three blocks of police and secret service everywhere they go to stop them from seeing people who disagree? When we can’t even see what they have to say? When people are arrested for disagreeing? WTF indeed!
I think it's allowable, but based on factors which deem security as a concern while still acheiving a balance in proportion to the allowable merits of discourse in a setting which is magnified based on multiple criteria...
this has nothing to do with security. do you really think a potential assassin is gonna be wearing a Kerry-Edwards t-shirt to a GOP rally?
I'm thinking that the assassin would look something like John Malkovich in "Line of Fire." Business suit, eyeglasses, fat campaign contribution and a front row seat.
