It's All Right There

We've heard the stories for years, culminating recently in an $80,000 settlement to a couple of protestors escorted from a presidential appearance. The Bush Administration tightly controls access to those appearances, so there won't be any vocal critics present.  Seems now that it's all right there, in black and white.

White House Manual Details How to Deal With Protesters

A White House manual that came to light recently gives presidential advance staffers extensive instructions in the art of "deterring potential protestors" from President Bush's public appearances around the country. Among other things, any event must be open only [...]

That bothers you, doesn't it.  And, since somebody won $80,000 through the courts, it would seem the idea's not on very solid legal footing. That doesn't stop bloggers on the right from saying it's really an okay deal...

Shocker: White House Manual Tells Advance Teams How To Stop Protesters, Detect Smelly Hippies

...I guess we’re all supposed to be shocked at this or something, but is the idea that the President doesn’t want to be interrupted or heckled by a bunch of screaming leftists all that surprising?  I mean, this isn’t even a free speech issue.  Interrupting someone else’s planned speaking engagement isn’t a form of protected speech or expression.  It’s called “disorderly conduct” or some other misdemeanor, and it serves people intent on disruption right for being blocked from the President’s events. What a lot of people fail to understand is that “free speech” isn’t an absolute right.  Meaning [...]

Tags: Bush Administration, Protesters

Powered by Qumana