Wednesday, February 01, 2006

Once Upon a Time, there was Freedom of Speech

How fitting that prior to last night's State of the Union address by the president, Cindy Sheehan should be detained and arrested. According to CNN:

Peace activist Cindy Sheehan was arrested Tuesday in the House gallery after refusing to cover up a T-shirt bearing an anti-war slogan before President Bush's State of the Union address.

And what exactly was on this "anti-war" t-shirt that resulted in her arrest? Well, brace yourself... nothing more than the number of American deaths since the beginning of the war with a simple question, "How many more?".

Outrageous! How this simple fact and question can be construed as offensive and in violation of any local ordinance is beyond me. The Washington Post reports that demonstrations within the Capitol are prohibited and that Capitol Police removed Sheehan after refusing to "close her jacket and quiet down". Anyone who has the courage to fight back and not submit to those who enforce conformity better watch out.

From the Washington Post article:
Sheehan, whose son was killed in Iraq, opened her jacket to reveal a T-shirt that, according to a supporter, gave the number of U.S. war dead and asked, "How many more?"

She was also vocal, said U.S. Capitol Police Chief Terrance W. Gainer, and after she ignored instructions to close her jacket and quiet down, she was led out and arrested. Demonstrating in the House gallery is prohibited.


Again, from CNN:
"She was asked to cover it up. She did not," said Sgt. Kimberly Schneider, U.S. Capitol Police spokeswoman.

Schneider said Sheehan was arrested around 8:30 p.m. on charges of unlawful conduct, a misdemeanor that carries a maximum penalty of a year in jail.

The incident is an apropos metaphor for the deteriorating conditions in America. Arresting an individual for peacefully expressing disagreement with the government. Am I wrong to believe, despite what I have been taught my entire life, that what this great country, America, stands for is no longer true? Can we, the American people, no longer peacefully disgree with the government without being hauled off and arrested? Apparently not.

Last night, not only did freedom of speech take a hit, but also the right to privacy as President Bush announced his commitment to continue domestic surveillance without oversight. Despite internal efforts to reign in the run-away administration, the president is convinced he has the authority to continue his domestic illegal spying program.

For a alternative view of last night's speech, something you will certainly not read or hear on mainstream media outlets, take a look at Paul Craig Robert's article on the Counter Punch website.

Mr Robert's article starts with the gloves off...
The state of the union is disastrous. By its naked aggression, bullying, illegal spying on Americans, and illegal torture and detentions, the Bush administration has demonstrated American contempt for the Geneva Convention, for human life and dignity, and for the civil liberties of its own citizens. Increasingly, the US is isolated in the world, having to resort to bribery and threats to impose its diktats. No country any longer looks to America for moral leadership. The US has become a rogue nation.

Least of all did President Bush tell any truth about the economy. He talked about economic growth rates without acknowledging that they result from eating the seed corn and do not produce jobs with a living wage for Americans. He touted a low rate of unemployment and did not admit that the figure is false because it does not count millions of discouraged workers who have dropped out of the work force.

and finishes with the knock-out punch:
The state of the nation has never been worse. The Great Depression was an accident caused by the incompetence of the Federal Reserve, which was still new at its job. The new American job depression is the result of free trade ideology. The new job depression is creating a reserve army of the unemployed to serve as desperate recruits for neoconservative military adventures. Perhaps that explains the Bush administration's enthusiasm for globalization.


Who is Paul Roberts? Is he some yahoo, conspiracy-believing, liberal? Far from it...
Paul Craig Roberts was Assistant Secretary of the Treasury in the Reagan administration. He was Associate Editor of the Wall Street Journal editorial page and Contributing Editor of National Review.

Go on and do yourself a favor. If you haven't done so already, read more of the alternative news and opinion sites. Visit the following and read information assembled by individuals seeking to reveal the truth of our current situation:


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