Maybe the reason for the arrest was disobeying a lawful order. I doubt the Capitol
police had any inclinations towards her credibility whatsoever. They aint bouncers. I’m sure every security person there took their job very seriously since the entire US government was in one place and under their protection.
She blew her load too early. She should have waited until later on in the speech to start raising a fuss. If she had only waited until the right moment when Bush was bullshitting about the war and Sheehan had shouted “FUCK YOU, MR. PRESIDENT!” and THEN they dragged her away WHILE THE CAMREAS WERE FOCUSED ON HER… well, at least that would have left a much bigger impression on people. For her idiocy at blowing the chance for a perfect moment, I shall never forgive her.
It’s questionable that you’d be allowed to wear a t-shirt of any kind in to the State of the Union, it’s not black tie or anything but it’s not track-suit occasion either.
That probably wouldn’t have been wise from a personal standpoint as then she would probably have been actually prosecuted for the crimes she committed. Whereas since her minor protest occured before the speech and before Bush entered the room the Capitol Police really just wanted to remove a potentially disturbing situation and leave it at that.
It said a “House official” not a “White House” official, in common nomenclature when it appears as House with no “White” in front of it it is typically talking about the United States House of Representatives, not the White House.
In general politicians and their employees don’t wear clothing of a political nature (like Bush-Cheney 04 T-Shirts or buttons) to the Capitol building or the White House because it is not permitted. I’m not sure what would happen if one of them did it anyways, maybe nothing, but in general it is not done by the politicians and staff because they know better.
Ok, so what’s the maximum she could get for her “crime”? I assume it’s Disturbing The Peace or something vague like that. I don’t think it’s anything major even if she was messing up the President’s speech (I don’t think there’s a seperate crime of disturbing the peace while dissing the President, at least not YET…)
Bah. If she had worn a shirt saying “God Bless President Bush” she would have been left alone. It isn’t that she was expressing her opinion, it was that she was expressing that opinion.
Am I too cynical, or is it suspicious that it was reported this way initially?
I’m torn. People are craven idiots, and in the absence of facts will make up something plausible. This could have happened. Or… someone could have spun the facts intentionally to sway public opinion. It worked on Airman.
Maybe he is part of a secret Republican focus group. While brainstorming, Karl Rove will tell his assistants “Hillary Clinton once blew Saddam in the back of a limo… a tough sell, but I like it. Let’s package it as a secret service document, slip it to Airman, and see what happens. If he bites, we leak it tomorrow.”
I think she should have worn a tasteful black suit and black hat w/ a black veil. She could have put a picture of her son on her lapel w/ the word “why”. I’m sure she would have gotten lots of pics. in the media and it would have been a very effective political comment w/o doing anything to justify her expulsion.
The cynical part of my brain (which is becoming larger and larger as I age…the cynical part mind you, not the brain itself) agrees with you.
Do you really think your average Jane or Joe Everyman, having been invited to sit in, and wearing a t-shirt with a similar pro-Bush sentiment would have been escorted out and detained? Not likely, in my opinion.
I could be wrong, I’ll admit, but that’s cynicism for you.
I find it hard to entirely dismiss Ms. Sheehan’s antics as stupid. While I think that what she did will make no difference at all, I’m fairly sure that what happened was what was intended to happen… that she was arrested for wearing a tee shirt.
Liberals are supposed to get mad for the implied infringement of freedom of speech and conservatives are supposed to defend the arrest because she was disruptive. It’s just one more thing to try to drive everyone further apart and this was a try by Sheehan (and/or whoever thought of this) to embarrass Bush.
I really wish that both sides of this political battle would decide to work together for building a better country and a better world instead of trying to win some game.
For what it’s worth, I dislike both political parties and party politics in general.
Bill Frist has been wearing one for years and he hasn’t been escorted out. Of course, they haven’t arrested Ted Kennedy for wearing his “Big Johnson” tee.
A “God Bless the President” tee shirt would make her less likely to be a disruption to the proceedings. That’s why she wouldn’t be escorted out.
But she has a right to express “disruptive” opinions. In Cohen v California, the Court overturned the conviction of a man arrested for wearing a t shirt that read “Fuck the Draft” in the Los Angeles Courthouse.
If expressing anti-war opinions is disruptive, the nation needs more disruptions.
Do you think she would have been happy if she had garnered exactly the same amount of attention for her shirt as if her shirt was blank? As in no attention whatsoever? Being completely ignored by the news and the other attendees. Causing zero disruption to the proceedings, just being another body in a chair. I don’t think that would have satisfied her at all. That was not the point of her attendance or her shirt, the entire point was to make a scene, get taken away, and get lots of attention.
Job done, I don’t really see why anyone is surprised or outraged at it. I’d bet dollars to donuts that if nobody had spoken to her about the shirt, she would have made an appearance later on. She had zero interest in sitting and listening to the speech respectfully like most everyone else there, her goal from minute one was to draw attention to herself and her cause. Sitting through the whole thing without disruption wouldn’t have done a thing to “help” her cause.
Cindy Sheehan’s version of the events is pointedly different from anything posted above. She confirms that she was wearing the shirt because she’d worn it all day (notably to the “People’s State opf the Union address”, something I’ve never heard of) and unexpectedly got a ticket to the SOTU during the day.
She says that she was called out and ejected as soon as she unzipped her jacket and her shirt was visible, and that, contrary to reports, she was never requested to do anything – just roughly ejected from the chamber, by guards who apparently had no idea who she was until they got her outside:
People, this was not some political stump speech out in Podunksville, America. Yes, there are political aspects to it, but this is the STATE OF THE UNION address. I don’t care who you are or what your beef is, you allow the President to make his SOTU address. To do otherwise disrepects the OFFICE of the presidency. Now, if you think the OFFICE of the presidency deserves to be disrespected, then piss on you and tag you with a taser, because it doesn’t matter WHO is in the office - it is a POSITION that deserves a certain level of decorum, just as any high office should.
(Yes I will get fried on this because people just can’t stand this prez and this administration - to hell with you types that can’t see the distinction of respecting the office, anyway.)
As far as Sheehan’s actions being legal or otherwise - I could care less, because it is just flat improper to disrupt the SOTU. Disrupt other speeches all you want, but the SOTU address deserves respect.
Who knows.
But why risk fining/a few days in jail when you’ll probably get your attention just as well by doing what she did without actually being prosecuted?
Cal,
I hardly think a link from Micheal Moore’s website with a statement from Sheehan can hardly qualify as an impartial report…
It’s a statement from the person directly involved. It bears noting. It’s certainly much more believable than reports that she was unfurling a banner that people were citing and apparently believing.
Me, knowing the way audiences at Bush’s speeches are so rigidly controlled, would’ve expected Sheehan to get thrown out if recognized, on any basis necessary, to prevent the possibility of disruption, whether she wore a “message” shirt or not.