Wednesday, February 01, 2006

Cindy Sheehan Arrested for Illegal Speech


Cindy Sheehan to File First Amendment Lawsuit

While Bush was preaching in his SOTU about the glory and the wonder of freedom in freedom-loving America, Cindy Sheehan was being fingerprinted and booked for the crime of "unlawful conduct." Seriously, that was the charge. Can a crime get any broader or more ambiguous than that?

Cindy Sheehan's actual crime was the wearing of the shirt pictured above.

The unlawful conduct speech on the shirt:

2,245 Dead — How Many More??


You will note that this is a simple factual statement.

I know I've asked this before, but here I go again: What the fuck country am I living in? Oh, yeah, now I remember, it's the fucking Soviet Union.

Invited to attend the SOTU by Rep. Lynn Woosley (D-CA), Cindy was arrested by the Capitol police after she had been seated inside the Capitol chamber. The mother of a slain soldier was taken in handcuffs to police headquarters where she was booked for a misdemeanor that could get her locked up for one year. Yeah, freedom in America has a stiff price.

Bob Fertik reports that Bush uttered the words "freedom" or "free" 19 times during the SOTU. Bob has lots more, and Bradblog has a chronology of Cindy's harrowing night in freedom fucking loving America.

The blogger also has this little outdated blast from the past:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

And from Attywood:
Did you know that in 1971, the Supreme Court said it was unconstitutional to arrest a man who wore a "F--- the Draft" T-shirt into the courthouse? (Cohen v. California, you can look it up.) So now Alito's on the court for 45 minutes and your civil liberties are already going down the toilet. You were warned.


Cindy was finally released and the morning talk shows had a war over her. She's scheduled to appear, this morning, on The Morning Show.

But as always, the bloggers have it first. Here's a snippet, scratch that, it's too good. Here's her entire report, in her own words. (via After Downing Street)

CINDY'S REPORT:

As most of you have probably heard, I was arrested before the State of the Union Address tonight.

I am speechless with fury at what happened and with grief over what we have lost in our country.

There have been lies from the police and distortions by the press. (Shocker) So this is what really happened:

This afternoon at the People's State of the Union Address in DC where I was joined by Congresspersons Lynn Woolsey and John Conyers, Ann Wright, Malik Rahim and John Cavanagh, Lynn brought me a ticket to the State of the Union Address. At that time, I was wearing the shirt that said: 2245 Dead. How many more?

After the PSOTU press conference, I was having second thoughts about going to the SOTU at the Capitol. I didn't feel comfortable going. I knew George Bush would say things that would hurt me and anger me and I knew that I couldn't disrupt the address because Lynn had given me the ticket and I didn't want to be disruptive out of respect for her. I, in fact, had given the ticket to John Bruhns who is in Iraq Veterans Against the War. However, Lynn's office had already called the media and everyone knew I was going to be there so I sucked it up and went.

I got the ticket back from John, and I met one of Congresswoman Barbara Lee's staffers in the Longworth Congressional Office building and we went to the Capitol via the undergroud tunnel. I went through security once, then had to use the rest room and went through security again.

My ticket was in the 5th gallery, front row, fourth seat in. The person who in a few minutes was to arrest me, helped me to my seat.

I had just sat down and I was warm from climbing 3 flights of stairs back up from the bathroom so I unzipped my jacket. I turned to the right to take my left arm out, when the same officer saw my shirt and yelled; "Protester." He then ran over to me, hauled me out of my seat and roughly (with my hands behind my back) shoved me up the stairs. I said something like "I'm going, do you have to be so rough?" By the way, his name is Mike Weight.

The officer ran with me to the elevators yelling at everyone to move out of the way. When we got to the elevators, he cuffed me and took me outside to await a squad car. On the way out, someone behind me said, "That's Cindy Sheehan." At which point the officer who arrested me said: "Take these steps slowly." I said, "You didn't care about being careful when you were dragging me up the other steps." He said, "That's because you were protesting." Wow, I get hauled out of the People's House because I was, "Protesting."

I was never told that I couldn't wear that shirt into the Congress. I was never asked to take it off or zip my jacket back up. If I had been asked to do any of those things...I would have, and written about the suppression of my freedom of speech later. I was immediately, and roughly (I have the bruises and muscle spasms to prove it) hauled off and arrested for "unlawful conduct."

After I had my personal items inventoried and my fingers printed, a nice Sgt. came in and looked at my shirt and said, "2245, huh? I just got back from there."

I told him that my son died there. That's when the enormity of my loss hit me. I have lost my son. I have lost my First Amendment rights. I have lost the country that I love. Where did America go? I started crying in pain.

What did Casey die for? What did the 2244 other brave young Americans die for? What are tens of thousands of them over there in harm's way for still? For this? I can't even wear a shrit that has the number of troops on it that George Bush and his arrogant and ignorant policies are responsible for killing.

I wore the shirt to make a statement. The press knew I was going to be there and I thought every once in awhile they would show me and I would have the shirt on. I did not wear it to be disruptive, or I would have unzipped my jacket during George's speech. If I had any idea what happens to people who wear shirts that make the neocons uncomfortable that I would be arrested...maybe I would have, but I didn't.

There have already been many wild stories out there.

I have some lawyers looking into filing a First Amendment lawsuit against the government for what happened tonight. I will file it. It is time to take our freedoms and our country back.

I don't want to live in a country that prohibits any person, whether he/she has paid the ulitmate price for that country, from wearing, saying, writing, or telephoning any negative statements about the government. That's why I am going to take my freedoms and liberties back. That's why I am not going to let Bushco take anything else away from me...or you.

I am so appreciative of the couple of hundred of protesters who came to the jail while I was locked up to show their support....we have so much potential for good...there is so much good in so many people.

Four hours and 2 jails after I was arrested, I was let out. Again, I am so upset and sore it is hard to think straight.

Keep up the struggle...I promise you I will too.

Love and peace soon,
Cindy

Bob Fertik suggests we call the White House comment line - 202-456-1111,1,1 - and express our feelings about the arrest of Cindy Sheehan. You might remind them that Bush said her son died for freedom.

The Liar-In-Chief will be here in Nashville in a few hours.

I have a protest to go to.

Update: The media has all kinds of variations on this story. Originally they reported that Cindy unfurled a banner (see Bradblog link above), then they scratched that story and said she was wearing a shirt. Now I see that the Washington Post reports that she was making noise. First time I've heard this one, but I wonder if they got it from the same source who told them she unfurled a banner.

"We love our freedom, and we will fight to keep it."

George W. Bush, SOTU, 2006