State of the Union Address
 

http://news.yahoo.com/fc/us/bush_administration

Did any of you watch it? There wasn't anything really different included, in my opinion. He did include more ideas on the environment, which was good, and strengthening American competitiveness in various ways. I liked that. He seemed to be a bit more congnizant of some Democratic measures too. I guess it was ok.

I want to know who had the cell phone that went off during one of the pauses in the President's speech or was that on just the ABC feed?

Poor Cindy Sheehan. She had a ringside seat for The State Of The Union. Then she gets arrested for trying to bring a banner inside.

I heard the cell phone go off on the C-Span feed too.

well, we don't know for sure if she actually had a banner. I immediatly thought when I heard the report that maybe, just maybe, it was the repubs scheme just to get her out of there. I'm serious. I can't help it. That's what I think. We'll see, though. But if she later denies that she even had a banner, I won't be surprised.

My daughter (who worked in Congress in high school) said that a "banner" would never be allowed. She was appalled that earlier today the Army Sgt. was allowed to bring her dog ONTO the Senate floor!

I heard that the dog was the famous bomb-sniffing dog - they've been at State of the Union Addresses before.

I doubt that Cindy Sheehan could get a banner through security, but she covered up her t-shirt until she got into her seat. That's when she was asked to leave/escorted out/arrested.

The dog was at the regular Senate session earlier today, NOT at the joint session on the House Floor for the SOTU.

That's what it sounds like - she had it covered up, she was allowed in, and then she started to unfurl it when she got there.

I wouldn't be surprised if she started some sort of loud ruckus as well, which may have contributed to her getting the boot.

She's an idiot.

Didn't hear the phone.

You can bet that the dog had some security reason for being there.

The President has excellent speech writers and delivers written speeches well. He has a real gift for communication in certain situations.

He needs to work on the little "smirk" (well, I think it looks like that anyway) when he takes applause. Anyone else think it looks a little arrogant, or is it just me?

Not much new in the speech. It's certainly not just a Republican thing, but I think the State of the Union should be about just that, not a propaganda tool.

I wonder about the First Amendment considerations of removing someone from a government building for wearing a tee shirt with an anti-war or anti-administration message.

I thought she was removed for trying to unfurl a banner; my understanding was that it's not allowed, and she tried to do it anyway. Also, I'd be surprised if she went quietly; i.e. someone told her to put the banner/flag away, and she made a scene about it.

I could be wrong though - I haven't read anything this morning with more detail.

I can't say for sure, but while Sheehan would have the right to an anti-war t-shirt on, she would probably be taken out of the room as a security risk. The news I watched had said that she was being "detained" at that time.

By the end of the speech, however, she was formally arrested. Something happened between being detained and arrested!

It's just you. *Smirk*

Arrogance is Hillary smiling at certain points.

It was actually a pretty good speech. He stood firm and didn't pull some flip-flop/lame duck act.

Cindy Sheehan should be deported. She can go live with another famous American nutjob parent, that Walker Lindh guy's dad.

-Rudey

There's that part of it too - I think she could at least be described as feisty...

I agree.

I also wish Senator Clinton would refrain from her looks of disgust & disdain.

She didn't even laugh at the joke about President Clinton - although that may have also had to do with her feelings on her husband.

She looked like someone who had just been sent to the corner for punishment.

If I were her future campaign manager, I would advise her to quit with the smirks, that she's losing ground with her "female base" each time she's so rude.

I don't expect her to be joyous or even happy, but she has GOT to lose that grimace!!

I totally agree. He really didn't say anything at all. I thought some of the Democratic response pointed that out some (though the gov's lips an voice were not in synch on my tv...) Yes we all support our troops, and want them home, though the means may vary. Yes we want less dependence on foreign oil, though we don't get most of our oil from the mid-east. It goes on and on.

I thought Rove did a great job getting the Repubs to buy in and clap. I was wondering if they were going to be a tough sell for him, but somehow Rove's genius pulled that one out of the fire.

Yeah, she is. But she's also a grieving mother.

According to NPR this morning, she was wearing a tee shirt. Nothing was said about a banner.

If she really did try to unfurl a banner, there are different considerations in my mind, and she probably deserved to be removed from the hall. A tee shirt is something else.

The Bush folks are very touchy about any kind of negative demonstration. There is a court case here in Denver regarding two women who were thrown out of a Bush campaign appearance because of an anti-Bush bumper sticker on their car. I really do think there are potential First Amendment issues in last night's situation.

Again, according to NPR, she was removed from the hall, was arrested and then released.

Why the heck would the Texas Congressperson invite her in the first place. That's asking for trouble.

I think it was a Representative from CA

Capitol Police took Sheehan, invited as a guest of Rep. Lynn Woolsey, a Democrat, away in handcuffs and charged her with unlawful conduct, a misdemeanor. She later was released on her own recognizance.

IF a trial comes out of this, Rep. Woolsey should be held just as responsible, IMO.

Interesting...
 

What would she be charged with?

Aiding and abetting.

Are you serious?

Why? Because you don't agree with the looks?

Is she supposed to maintain a smile when she might be listening to something she doesn't agree wiith and/or thinks might be complete BS.

That's like saying I wish Bush would refrain from those freaking smirks every two minutes. I don't like them but he has every right to do it.

Wasn't aware that we couldn't give certain looks these days...I've been in Cali too long me thinks.

LOL WHAT?

Wow...

You are correct. I thought someone on one of the networks (I was surfing between the three majors) said Texas.

My error.

According to the CNN story re: Sheehan, it is against House rules to have demonstrations in the galleries.

I guess that makes sense because otherwise, they could have lobbyists constantly demonstrating inside there. Kind of like not being able to campaign within so many feet of a voting booth.

Dee

Years ago, some Puerto Rican demonstrators shot up the House from the gallery. I think they wanted PR to regress from Territory status (where they get everything, pay nothing) to Statehood.

And don't forget Kerry's response:

"The Drudge Report also notes that Kerry claimed "53 percent of our children don't graduate from high school." In fact, according to the Census Bureau, 85.9% of 20- to 24-year-olds are high school graduates. In June 2004, while campaigning for president, Kerry did something similar, with a racial edge: He falsely stated that more black Americans were in prison than in college."

That si your poinion but like I said, she shouldn't have to project an image of agreement if she doesn't agree.

My comment regarding Bush's smirks wasn't directed at your original post, I simply stated it for posterity and nothing more.

We have differing opinions for sure. But I don't really think this is an issue of the right thing to do as opposed to simple likes and dislikes of certain body/facial movements.

I HATE THE SMIRK!!! I think that may annoy me more then anything else he does.

Now I need to go read the rest of the thread.

I have some issues regarding his approaches to the math and science teaching in high school. Bush says he wants train 70,000 teachers to teach AP science and math and to bring 30,000 math and science professionals into the classroom. Great idea in theory. #1- how? #2- Not all "professionals" can be teachers. You can be a highly intelligent, great person in the business world but not be able to teach. I had some very intelligent professors(even a high school teacher) who couldn't teach because they were too far above us and weren't able to bring it down to our level. One of the most difficult things I've had to do this year is try and bring my level of biology knowledge down to a 7th grade level.

I noticed the smirk, but I'm not really bothered by it. I actually giggled whenever he did it because I had this voice in my head while he would do it saying "you were right, karl, that WOULD sound good" or something like that.

The Puerto Ricans in question actually wanted independence from the U.S. NOT to become a state.

And what exactly does the Kerry "response" have to do with ANY of this?!?

Police Apologize, Drop Charge Vs. Sheehan
 

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060201/..._union_sheehan

Capitol Police dropped a charge of unlawful conduct against anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan on Wednesday and apologized for ejecting her and a congressman's wife from President Bush's State of the Union address for wearing T-shirts with war messages.

"The officers made a good faith, but mistaken effort to enforce an old unwritten interpretation of the prohibitions about demonstrating in the Capitol," Capitol Police Chief Terrance Gainer said in a statement late Wednesday...

The extraordinary statement came a day after police removed Sheehan and Beverly Young, wife of Rep. C.W. "Bill" Young, R-Fla., from the visitors gallery Tuesday night. Sheehan was taken away in handcuffs before Bush's arrival at the Capitol and charged with a misdemeanor, while Young left the gallery and therefore was not arrested, Gainer said.

"Neither guest should have been confronted about the expressive T-shirts," Gainer's statement said...

The two women appeared to have offended tradition if not the law, according to several law enforcement and congressional officials. By custom, the annual address is to be a dignified affair in which the president reports on the state of the nation. Guests in the gallery who wear shirts deemed political in nature have, in past years, been asked to change or cover them up.

The above negates my explanation of my earlier post, but I wanted to check this out with at least one person I know in DC law enforcement.

I said aiding & abetting because it would be akin to driving the getaway car - she wasn't guilty of the commission of the crime, but if she knew about it, she'd be part of the crime.

But since we now know that it wasn't a crime that was committed (other than maybe the Fashion Police's!) so it's all a moot point.

Thanks for the info - I'm on their side, I guess. I'll label them "freedom fighters" in all future posts.

Kerry? This is the SOTU thread, so someone's response to the SOTU is allowed. We can never have enough quotes from Kerry.

Re: Police Apologize, Drop Charge Vs. Sheehan
 

I was just about to post this story. This is such a shame. I'm willing to bet that, as I said before, "someone" just wanted Sheehan out of the building, period and instructed the police to make it happen. I hope she does sue the crap out of the police for violation of her 1st and 4th Amendment rights and whomever was behind that is exposed.