Bush campaign throws out teachers from rally

[IowaStatePhiPsi]

http://www.bend.com/news/ar_view^3Far_id^3D18712.htm

Teachers' T-shirts bring Bush speech ouster Prev | Next
From Bend.com news sources
Posted: Thursday, October 14, 2004 10:24 PM
Reference Code: PR-18712

October 14 - MEDFORD – President Bush taught three Oregon schoolteachers a new lesson in irony – or tragedy – Thursday night when his campaign removed them from a Bush speech and threatened them with arrest simply for wearing t-shirts that said “Protect Our Civil Liberties,” the Democratic Party of Oregon reported.

The women were ticketed to the event, admitted into the event, and were then approached by event officials before the president’s speech. They were asked to leave and to turn over their tickets – two of the three tickets were seized, but the third was saved when one of the teachers put it underneath an article of clothing.

"The U.S. Constitution was not available on site for comment, but expressed in a written statement support for “the freedom of speech” and “of the press” among other civil liberties," a Democratic news release said.

The Associated Press and local CBS affiliate KTVL captured Bush’s principled stand against civil liberties in news accounts published immediately after the event.

The AP reported:

Three Medford school teachers were threatened with arrest and escorted from the event after they showed up wearing T-shirts with the slogan "Protect our civil liberties." All three said they applied for and received valid tickets from Republican headquarters in Medford.

The women said they did not intend to protest. "I wanted to see if I would be able to make a statement that I feel is important, but not offensive, in a rally for my president," said Janet Voorhies, 48, a teacher in training.

“We chose this phrase specifically because we didn't think it would be offensive or degrading or obscene," said Tania Tong, 34, a special education teacher.

Thursday’s event in Oregon sets a new bar for a Bush/Cheney campaign that has taken extraordinary measures to screen the opinions of those who attend Bush and Cheney speeches. For months, the Bush/Cheney campaign has limited event access to those willing to volunteer in Bush/Cheney campaign offices. In recent weeks, the Bush/Cheney campaign has gone so far as to have those who voice dissenting viewpoints at their events arrested and charged as criminals.

Thursday’s actions in Oregon set a new standard even for Bush/Cheney – removing and threatening with arrest citizens who in no way disrupt an event and wear clothing that expresses non-disruptive party-neutral viewpoints such as “Protect Our Civil Liberties.”

When Vice President Dick Cheney visited Eugene, Oregon on Sept. 17, a 54-Year old woman named Perry Patterson was charged with criminal trespass for blurting the word "No" when Cheney said that George W. Bush has made the world safer.

One day before, Sue Niederer, 55, the mother of a slain American soldier in Iraq was cuffed and arrested for criminal trespass when she interrupted a Laura Bush speech in New Jersey. Both women had tickets to the event.

[AXEAM]

I read this earlier today @ work, I quess this just further proves that this President cannot & will not deal with any opposing view points.

[Rudey]

Originally posted by AXEAM
I read this earlier today @ work, I quess this just further proves that this President cannot & will not deal with any opposing view points.

No actually it's about having the freedom to decide who will be in your rally and how they will support you. It's all about being within the limits of the law and not trying to make this out to be something it isn't.

-Rudey

[AnchorAlum]

Originally posted by AXEAM
I read this earlier today @ work, I quess this just further proves that this President cannot & will not deal with any opposing view points.

Yeah, and Kerry rallies welcome any Republican who attends their rallies, right?

Your statement that the President will not deal with any opposing view points goes to Democratic talking points that he is arrogant and unwilling to admit his mistakes. As he has said, history is the judge of that. And the left wants him to admit Iraq was a mistake. What an encouragement that would be to the Al-Zarqawis of the terrorist world.

[AXEAM]

Originally posted by AnchorAlum
Yeah, and Kerry rallies welcome any Republican who attends their rallies, right?

Your statement that the President will not deal with any opposing view points goes to Democratic talking points that he is arrogant and unwilling to admit his mistakes. As he has said, history is the judge of that. And the left wants him to admit Iraq was a mistake. What an encouragement that would be to the Al-Zarqawis of the terrorist world.

Kerry will allow Republicans and others who don't agree w/him to attend his rallies as long as they express their veiws in an orderly fashion. Now w/ Bush that's not the case people are ushered out for little or no reason other then the fact that they don't agree w/his views, as for Iraq being a mistake I believe history will show just that. The encouragement to Al-Zarqawis is the US.troops in Iraq saying they don't know why their even over there as well as troops refusing to complete their orders b/c they feel that their vehicles are unsafe.