Soapbox

The Mother of all Disgraces

A grieving mother whose son was killed in Iraq was dragged away in handcuffs and charged with defiant tresspass after shouting out questions at a public appearance by Laura Bush to which the woman had a ticket.

Wow. Is this what you call compassionate conservatism?

Lets review the strange perversion of the democratic process that has occurred this summer at Presidential events:

~First no one was allowed to hear the president or vice president unless they applied in advance and were approved.

~Later, no one was allowed in to some public event without signing a loyalty oath.

~No real questions are permitted at “Ask the President” events- only pre-screened questions and fawning compliments.

~A news photographer in Arizona was told she could not cover a Cheney appearance without disclosing her race.

~On orders from the Secret Service , several people at public rallies were arrested for wearing the wrong T-shirts (no charges were filed by embarassed officials who admitted that it is NOT a crime to wear a Kerry T-shirt to a Bush rally- YET!)

~Now a gold-star mother is put in handcuffs for the crime of exercising her freedom of speech.

This woman’s behavior was rude and probably annoying to those trying to listen to the speech. Anyone who has been to a Kerry/Edwards rally has heard Bush supporters doing the same thing, for much less heartfelt reasons. And have you ever heard of these shouters being arrested?? At one event I remember, Kerry engaged the shouter in a reasoned dialogue about the issue the man raised.

Which public servant better upholds the Constitution- John Kerry, who allows citizens to disagree, or George Bush, who has them arrested? And what does this say about the future of our civil rights under “4 more years”?