Dangerous T-Shirts

Cindy Sheehan, who had been invited to attend the State of the Union speech by Congressional Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-CA), wore a t-shirt to the event, which read, "2,245 Dead. How many more?" on one side, and "Support the Troops" on the other.

She was arrested. For the ever-so-scary "threat of t-shirt" presumably....

People who think it is even remotely approriate to arrest her or anyone else for such things, are democracy's worst enemy. Seriously, pick up a book.

Its called Cohen v. California. Look into it.

The Supreme Court said it was unconstitutional to arrest a man who wore an anti-war T-shirt into a state courthouse way back in 1971.

She was arrested ILLEGALLY. Her t-shirt was an expression of political speech, the MOST protected form of speech in our democracy, and in a public place - THE PEOPLE'S HOUSE. Apparently even the halls of Congress aren't a "free speech zone" in George Bush's Totalitarian America.

This type of expression is SUPPOSEDLY what makes us so much better than places like Communist China, where they would ALSO arrest her for such things, and THERE it would be LEGAL (though still IMMORAL) for the police to do so. There, it's like "Up against the Great Wall, motherfucker!" Do people really want it to be like that here?

Why are some people so hot for totalitarian tactics like these? Why are they so un-American? Why do they hate America?

DO THEY EVEN KNOW WHAT IT MEANS TO BE AN AMERICAN?

Cindy Sheehan, following her release from jail recounted the events:

"My ticket was in the 5th gallery, front row, fourth seat in. The person who in a few minutes was to arrest me, helped me to my seat. I had just sat down and I was warm from climbing 3 flights of stairs back up from the bathroom so I unzipped my jacket. I turned to the right to take my left arm out, when the same officer saw my shirt and yelled, 'Protester!' He then ran over to me, hauled me out of my seat and roughly (with my hands behind my back) shoved me up the stairs. I said something like, 'I'm going, do you have to be so rough?' The officer ran with me to the elevators yelling at everyone to move out of the way. When we got to the elevators, he cuffed me and took me outside to await a squad car. On the way out, someone behind me said, 'That's Cindy Sheehan.' At which point the officer who arrested me said, 'Take these steps slowly.' I said, "You didn't care about being careful when you were dragging me up the other steps." He said, 'That's because you were protesting.' I was never told that I couldn't wear that shirt into the Congress. I was never asked to take it off or zip my jacket back up. If I had been asked to do any of those things...I would have, and written about the suppression of my freedom of speech later. I was immediately, and roughly (I have the bruises and muscle spasms to prove it) hauled off and arrested for 'unlawful conduct.'"

Alito's been on the court for less than an hour, and already simple free speech is "unlawful conduct"? She continued:

"What did Casey die for? What did the 2,244 other brave young Americans die for? What are tens of thousands of them over there in harm's way for still? For this? I can't even wear a shirt that has the number of troops on it that George Bush and his arrogant and ignorant policies are responsible for killing."

Well said.

People are dying in an illegal and immoral war, and some are more concerned with POLITENESS? They don't deserve the democracy they enjoy.

The State of the Union or ANYWHERE in the presence of the President of the United States -- who is supposed to be OUR servant -- is PRECISELY the "appropriate" place to express concerns over the direction of the country.

When someone protests, you should REJOICE that we have the ability to do so, not make Miss Manners comments about "appropriateness."

Honestly, I don't care if she gets up and MOONS Congress and the President. They deserve far worse.