Posted on 05/14/2004 8:20:31 AM PDT by freeeee
The King made a royal visit to Wisconsin last week, and as is common when monarchs travel, individual liberties were suspended.
King George Bush's bus trip across western Wisconsin closed schools and roads, prevented residents from moving freely in their own communities, and prevented citizens from exercising their free speech rights.
All in all, it was a typical George W. Bush visit.
But there's a slight twist.
People in western Wisconsin, who hold to the refreshingly naive notion that they live in a republic as opposed to an imperial realm, are objecting.
"There's a pattern of harassment of free speech here that really concerns me," says Guy Wolf, the student services coordinator at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. "If they're going to call it a presidential visit, then it should be a presidential visit - where we can hear from him and he can hear from us. But that's not what happened here, not at all."
Wolf and other La Crosse area residents who wanted to let the president know their feelings about critical issues came face to face with the reality that, when King George travels, he is not actually interested in a two-way conversation.
Along the route of the Bush bus trip from Dubuque to La Crosse, the Bush team created a "no-free-speech" zone that excluded any expressions of the dissent that is the lifeblood of democracy. In Platteville, peace activist Frank Van Den Bosch was arrested for holding up a sign that was critical of the president. The sign's "dangerous" message, "FUGW," was incomprehensible to children and, no doubt, to many adults. Yet, it was still determined sufficiently unsettling to the royal procession that Van Den Bosch was slapped with a disorderly conduct ticket.
Up the road in La Crosse, the clampdown on civil liberties was even more sweeping. Wolf and hundreds of other Wisconsinites and Minnesotans who sought to express dissents were videotaped by authorities, told they could not make noise, ordered not to display certain signs and forced to stand out of eyesight of Bush and his entourage. Again and again, they were told that if they expressed themselves in ways that were entirely protected by the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, they would be "subject to arrest."
"Everyone understood the need for basic security for the president, but none of us could understand why we had to give up our free speech rights," explained Wolf.
La Crosse Mayor John Medinger shares that concern. The Bush-Cheney campaign leased a portion of a local park where the royal rally was held. Yet, Wisconsinites who wanted to protest Bush's visit were told they could not use a sound system in a completely different section of the park.
"I want to find out why the whole park was used when only a portion was leased," Medinger told the La Crosse Tribune. "So when demonstrators were told they couldn't have (sound) systems, the question is why."
The Bush-Cheney campaign paid a $100 fee to use one part of the park, but disrupted much of the city. Medinger is now assessing the full cost of the royal visit and hopes to deliver a bill to the campaign, which State Elections Board attorney George Dunst says the Bush campaign should pay. Other communities, including Prairie du Chien, are looking at following Medinger's lead.
But the challenge should not just be a financial one. The Bush visit attacked First Amendment rights up and down the Mississippi. A lot of people are owed apologies.
In a monarchy, of course, the King never apologizes. But in a democracy, the president is supposed to be accountable to the people.
By pressing demands that the charges against Frank Van Den Bosch be dropped and that the White House and the Bush-Cheney campaign apologize for participating in an anti-democratic endeavor, residents of western Wisconsin can, and should, take up the cause of this country's founders. It is time once more to challenge a King named George.
Caption: President Bush waves to crowds from his campaign bus as he passes through Prairie du Chien last Friday. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
So? Doesn't someone have the right to have an event without being interrupted? Do you think international ANSWER cordons off their events? If I were giving a math talk and somebody started shouting at me from the audience, they'd be taken out of the room at the very least.
I haven't heard yet that Bush send out a goon-squad to smack people around and tear up thier signs.
Both Bill and Hill did.
There is also that "War" thing... Security MUST be tighter now.
Freeom to not have hecklers shout you down was also employed by Bill. It's the sameol' sameol'.
So it's OK?
I am saying it is not new, as being portrayed here. It is not specific to only one party.
He should, however, be immune from being talked over by a bunch of professional rabble- rousers.
Thank YOU!!!! to you and the other guys in theatre! Stay Safe!
The story doesn't say anything about that. You are free to speculate, but logical people can only make a comment on the subject matter, not what they speculate might have happened in some make believe world.
But let's do it your way, let's say it didn't happen the way the story said, let's look at the question of whether or not someone should be allowed to do such a thing. What say you?
The criteria used for screening is not threat level. It is the content of political speech.
And what dirtboy says is right: if what you really want to do is get a message out, pander to the media in the "Free-Speech" zones.
Our government has no legitimate authority to limit dissent to small areas, while allowing supporters access to better venues.
LOL! What an idiot! We can kill a LOT of enemies -- we just choose not to! ;)
Here it is again.
Hundreds of protesters turn out to greet Bush
Uncle Sam, the Statue of Liberty, an Arab sheik and a Roman emperor were among the hundreds of protesters who turned out to chant, shout and sing their displeasure with President Bush.
Beating drums, a forest of picket signs and people in costumes and T-shirts emblazoned with such slogans as "America Can � George Bush Can't" greeted the president's bus as it rolled into Copeland Park.
Protesters lined the length of a city block, in some spots a half-dozen people deep.
"This is what democracy looks like," was one of the cries taken up by the crowd.
Guy Wolf of Stoddard, Wis., one of the local organizers of the protest, said he was "concerned about democracy" when the protesters were confined to the far end of the park, with fenced tennis courts between them and the stadium where the president spoke.
"First, we were served papers by the police department saying we couldn't use our loudspeaker system for our rally," he told the protest crowd, holding up a three-page document with yellow highlighting.
"Now they put us here behind this iron curtain," Wolf said, pointing to the tall chain-link fence around the tennis courts, which drew loud boos from the protesters.
Wolf assured the crowd that legal action would be taken, bringing a loud, long cheer. Protesters had planned to hold a rally of their own at the same time as the presidential rally but had to settle for a less formal event and a bullhorn. Speakers still addressed issues such as the environment, labor, peace, senior citizens and veterans.
Richard Wieland of Holmen, Wis., was able to make two statements on his 12-foot-tall, two-sided protest sign.
The one side said, "Regime change begins at home," with the flip side saying, "We're making more enemies than we can kill."
Wieland said he had been part of protests elsewhere in the state. When asked how this one was going, he said, "It's been very orderly."
Along with his hand-lettered sign � "American Democracy or American Empire n Which Will It Be?" � Dwayne Voegeli of Winona, Minn., wore a Roman emperor costume to try to get his point across.
"I'm hoping to remind people of their history lessons," Voegeli said. "You can't be a democracy and an empire at the same time."
Not only was Voegeli able to get his issue noticed, but he ended up giving a couple people a mini-refresher course on ancient history when they said they didn't understand the sign.
Although 17-year-old Ricardo Alcantar of Norwalk, Wis., had a ticket to see the president, he found himself outside with the protesters. "I didn't know you had to have an identification card to get in," he said with a shrug.
Asked whether he minded being among the Bush detractors, Alcantar smiled.
"I actually like to hear what they have to say, too," he said. "That way, I know both sides of many issues, so I can make a decision for myself."
Although too young to vote, Alcantar said, "I don't want to be oblivious of what's going on in the world around me just because I'm a teenager."
While her wheeled cart carried an American flag and a "Support the Troops" bumper sticker, Janice Krick of La Crosse didn't seem to mind sharing the sidewalk with the protesters, either.
Krick said she has had several sons serve in the military and became a Gold Star Mother when one was killed. She was unable to get a ticket to the Bush rally but said she still wanted to show her support for the president.
She looked over at the protesters with a grin. "I've gotten in a couple debates," Krick said. "But I don't back down on what I believe."
Linda McAlpine can be reached at lmcalpine@lacrossetribune.com or (608) 791-8220
Did you also notice I'm answering the posts of about a dozen people? I have answered taimat as much as possible. Keep reading.
YOU remind me of John efFIn Kerry, lots of whining but no real substance. Just a lot of bitching. Whats the matter couldn't get an audience with Hillary?
You want "no substance"? FReepers screamed their heads off at the same exact treatment BY HILLARY! Now that the shoe is on the other foot, it's all just fine and dandy.
reeeee wrote:
So the president isn't allowed to get a clean photo-op?!
At the expense of free speech and assembly?? HELL NO! The people in attendence at his public appearances will determine that what kind of photo-op he gets.
No one has a right to rent a louder sound system to DENY free speech to anyone else, including the President. I'm talking about a sign, or other protest device which respects EVERYONE'S rights.
I reserve the right to protest Hillary Clinton.
FREEPERS DO IT ALL THE TIME TO THOSE THEY DISAGREE WITH, RIGHTFULLY SO.
There is a long track record of this type of behavior.
See here: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/988483/posts?q=1&&page=1
Oh, he gave me an answer. Sort of. In a sort of whiny, incomplete adolescent way.
And the United Nations, John Kerry, the World Trade Organization, etc, etc.
Apparently, there are a lot of people having trouble viewing the slippery slope & seeing how this can be applied to other situations & public figures.
I'm sure it will all come to them when Hitlerly gets her crack at the White House.
Ahem. ACLU? Riiiiiiiight.
That is a broad statement, but I get the idea. The article you chose to post was unctuous and trite- as if King W were the only president to ever quash the voices of his dissenters. It just didn't ring true and, after reading your comment italicized above, I do not think that was your intention to focus soley on President Bush. But, since he is the current president, he gets all the spotlight. I can appreciate your concern. I just didn't care for the write up.
It was right here on FR.
You know, the same place that didn't like "free speech zones" when Clinton used them, and thinks they're just wonderful when W does the same.
I'm glad my point has been well taken by someone.
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