I think they can in Chicago. ;)

Probably.

To quote the first Mayor Daley, "Vote early and often."

My parents and 2 oldest sisters havent lived in Chicago since 1978, but they probably are still voting there.

You know what's really neat? That Kerry and Edwards let Republicans go to their rallies. See, I would love to go to a Bush rally and see what happens, but I never can get invited. The Bush twins come to my school and I can't go see them either because I don't have an invite.

It's harder to get into a Republican political event than it is to get into a TKE Toga Party the week before finals.

2600 magazine had some good coverage of the RNC protests at http://www.2600.com/rnc2004/index.html

Some people I know were also arrested while protesting the RNC.

He doesn't. He's a should-be mental patient.

i guess i should clarify. there were kerry supporters at the rally, but the protestors were kept far far away from the action. as for those who got tix to come in, well if they had anything that said kerry on it, they were watched like hawks by the volunteers and secret service. so i guess some kerry supporters got in, but probably didn't feel very welcomed.

shelley j
sigma k

That is not true. At the Kerry/Edwards rally here in Raleigh a few months ago many Bush supporters were turned away. One woman who had something about Bush on her shirt was asked to turn her shirt inside out. When she said all she was wearing underneath it was a bra and she could not do that the door person told her he/she did not care and that she would not be allowed to enter if she did not turn her shirt inside out.
Both parties turn people away. There is nothing neat about Kerry and Edwards. (sorry that was just my little two cents) :p

Very true. I dont think you can paint either side with a broad brush... there are nuts in both parties.

I don't at all doubt your statement. The difference, as I understand if, is that at Bush events you must have a ticket to get in which is not true at Kerry.

I had to have a blue ticket to see Kerry speak at a Kerry rally many months ago in Chicago. This is not true.

-Rudey

I should have said "all" Kerry rallies. I know that some have required tickets.

Sorry.

I think that you need tickets at all Bush events.

Rallies or fundraisers?

I honestly don't know. Where did you find that out though?

-Rudey

If they weren't wearing those shirts, they could have gotten in. Anybody can get a ticket to a Kerry rally - I hand them out, I know.

To get a ticket to a Bush event, you have to sign a loyalty pledge to the Republican party. This has never been done at a Kerry event, to my knowledge.

I don't remember -- probably on NPR, because I think I heard it, not read. Most of my radio listening is either NPR or BBC on PRI.

I think it's also safe to assume that you would have to have (buy) a ticket for fundraisers. It was rallies I had in mind.

GP, thanks for the info above.

Ha! They harassed a kid at ISU that had an invite to see the Bush twins.
He was the only one at the event who had to empty his pockets, let them search his bags, etc. He finally got in and took a seat and when he got out a notebook and pen cuz he wanted to take some notes about the event they kicked him out and told him to go to the press room, where he wasnt allowed in, so when he went back to the Bush twins event room he wasn't allowed in there either.

He's on the Exec for ACLU @ ISU, so that might have been why the College Republicans didnt want him there.

Stop making up stories.

-Rudey

actually you DON'T have to sign any loyalty pledge to get into a bush rally. you DO have to get your tickets at the local republican headquarters though. and in doing that give your basic information for security reasons.

shelley j
sigma k

I can understand the higher security requirements for Bush events. He is the sitting president during wartime. It's not completely unfathomable that terrorists would see this as an opportunity to off our head of state. I don't think the taxpayers would really want to foot the bill that would be required to maintain security if Bush did a lot of completely open public speaking.

Actually COMMA you do because people have been turned away from ones here for not signing the loyalty pledge.

You actually do not know what you are talking about.

Stop being a jerk.

-Joel

http://www.iowastatedaily.com/vnews/...3?in_archive=1

Did you learn to insult people in some dirty chatroom where you talk about how you hit on boyscouts (you said this in Chit Chat) and drool over young characters on television shows (you said this in the Entertainment forum)?

-Rudey
--This, written by one biased guy, only says he didn't get in and nothing else so stop with the lies and conspiracy theories.

then why didn't i have to sign anything lil miss grammar? i did volunteer work for the rally and didn't have to sign any loyalty pledge. so i do know what i'm talking about.

shelley j
sigma k

eta: i do know what loyalty pledge you are talking about. they volunteers working the crowd to get people to sign it, but it wasn't required in order to attend the rally or volunteer.

Because if you were VOLUNTEERING they knew you were loyal.

And yes, I suppose I am 'little' since I'm getting my degree from a littler MU than yours.

Some interesting links
 

http://www.casperstartribune.net/art...e10054e715.txt

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...2004Jul31.html

http://www.independent-media.tv/item...der%20Reported

http://www.dawn.com/2004/08/20/int12.htm

Would anyone like to see the email my university sent out about the twins visiting? I'd be happy to post about how that was invite only too.

Re: Some interesting links
 

:raises hand enthusiastically:

Me! Me! Me! I would. :D

"1. Jenna and Barbara Bush, Cate Edwards at Marquette this week

Jenna and Barbara Bush, daughters of President Bush, will be on campus at 4:15 p.m. Wednesday for an event at the AMU sponsored by the College Republicans and Students for Bush. They will greet Marquette students who will be calling voters in the Milwaukee area on behalf of the Bush-Cheney campaign. Attendance at the event is by invitation only.

On Friday afternoon, the College Democrats and Students for Kerry will host a visit from Cate Edwards, daughter of Democratic vice presidential nominee John Edwards. The campus community is invited to AMU, Ballroom E, at 4 p.m. to hear from Cate Edwards. A question-and-answer session and reception will follow."

If you need to see the header information I would be happy to post that as well, in case anyone is doubting the validity.

did you not read my edit? i cut and paste it here for you to read.

eta: i do know what loyalty pledge you are talking about. they volunteers working the crowd to get people to sign it, but it wasn't required in order to attend the rally or volunteer.

as for the whole invite thing, i don't know a much about that. all i do know is that people around here just had to go to the republican party to get tickets. also, when i went to be briefed on volunteering, they were handing out tickets like they were candy. there was a difference in the tickets. some were VIP type and the others were just general admission.

shelley j
sigma k

ps - and i wasn't downing your school. heck, i don't even know where you go to school. i don't even care!

Kath -

Why does the "loyalty pledge" have you up in a huff? I don't really see the big deal - it's not like he's asking you for the two grand, or forcing you to sacrifice a virgin at the altar. It doesn't seem to be quashing free speech, as protests still occur; they just don't occur within the actual rally. That seems pretty OK with me - it's not like Democrats don't take steps with the same goal in mind. Please, help me understand this, b/c right now I'm having a heaping dose of "who gives a shit? this is inconsequential."

-Rob
--not even posting the signature!

Rob,

I don't think the loyalty pledge would bother me so much if protests could occur close enough to the rally for Bush to see them. Every time he's been in Wisconsin the protest zone was blocks away. When Kerry has been here the protest zone has been wherever the Bushies want to go. I just don't feeling like it's playing fair, something that I know hasn't happened in politics in years. I just hate the fact that if Bush was in Milwaukee today I'd be protesting six blocks away surrounded by security guards, and if Kerry was in Iowa right now, you could be protesting so close to him he could see you.

I'll be happy to say the Pledge of Allegiance, but am not interested in a loyalty oath to either or any candidate.

That worries me.

If you're not interested in the pledge, then don't volunteer :D

You weren't considering doing so, were you?

Nope. Not for either side.

The difference is that Bush is the sitting American President during wartime. There are certain things that are going to happen security-wise because of this. Bush has also chosen to do this because when someone protests at one of his speeches, they seem to make more news than his actual speech does. It's ridiculous. Personally, I'd like to see the news networks take the same stance with these folks as the NFL has taken with people running on the field -- don't show them and don't acknowledge them. I have a good feeling that it'd stop after that.

Just like at the DNC, where the "free-speech zone" was conveniently tucked in a construction site parking lot a mile from Fleet, right under a bridge in the middle of the Big Dig. Neither side plays fair, and that doesn't concern me in the slightest. Make your speech unencumbered, but let the others exercise their right to say their piece. They don't have the right to say it literally wherever they want, though, remember.

Kevin makes a good, albeit misguided, point about security - I do agree Bush is probably going using that as a bit of an excuse, but the reality for me is that I don't think being within sight of the person you're protesting is of any importance whatsoever during a political rally. The right to protest should be defended passionately, but I think you're getting a little red in the lens over something that really isn't that big of a deal, to my mind.

I just wish everyone realized that. But to read the back and forth here you get the impression that everyone thinks their side is pure as the driven snow and that the other side is lower than whale $hit -- and you can't get much lower than that.

On loyalty oaths:

Maybe it's just my age and the fact that I've probably seen more political unrest and anti-administration demonstrations in my lifetime -- but this loyalty oath thing really bothers me. Isn't a democracy supposed to be where you're loyal to a country and its ideals and not any individual?

Our system is built around the tenants of a "loyal opposition." We pledge to "one nation," not one man -- or one party.

What does this "oath" mean. If you sign it and then don't vote Republican, do the "loyalty oath" police come and take away your driver's license?

Or do you all have to dress alike and march in lock-step to the polls?

I've taken a number of oaths in my lifetime -- to my country, my fraternity, my wife and others -- but never to a body politic.

The idea of this seems insidious to me.

But that's just one man's opinion.

Obviously it's not a legally binding contract. There are other things that should be bothering you, like the situation in Sudan and Arab terrorists. I for one will be worrying about the fact that I forgot to wear a belt today.

-Rudey

Obviously. So why do it? Why ask for it? Is it an ego thing for the candidates?

Actually, now that I think of it, when you sign something doesn't it become a contract? Doesn't your signature indicate that you're agreeing to do something? You can get in trouble over verbal contracts when you sign nothing! What is the working of this thing? Lawyers, help out here. Does the fact that you assume it's not binding make it so?

By the way, I have enough worries without anyone telling me what they should be.

OK. You go preach the word on how these contracts upset you because you're obviously in a bad mood again and going to take it out one whatever issue and person you find.

-Rudey

In order to get a ticket, it seems you have to provide information: Name, DL#, Address, Phone #. I can see why some balk at this. However, as I said before, we're at wartime and for a sitting President of the US, I think these are acceptable security measures.

As for the oath, I don't really see the problem. It's not your right to see this guy speak. It's your privilige for him to speak in front of you. If you don't want to do what he asks, then you can watch him on c-span.