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)
Yes, I know free speech and assembly aren't important to you.
So, from now on, any president that is making a campaign stop needs to monetarily reimburse everyone inconvenienced, needs to pay to keep order everytime the local University turns out it's typical mob, and is encouraged to allow said mob to shout him down wherever they may turn up. Does freedom of speech also mean that when I am exercising that right, that someone else must be forced to hear that speech in order to fulfill that right?
The Cap Times is still pitching it after all these years, eh? When I was at UW, the conservative club mocking named its annual freedom award after William T. Evjue, legendary leftist editor of the Times. The paper fumed but there wasn't anything they could do about it.
Blah blah blah
The President came through our area a few weeks ago. No "no-free-speech" zone. Anyone could line up anywhere along the 10+ miles his motorcade drove on.
One guy did, protesting about no jobs. One.
Amazingly, I wasn't allowed to block the road and make the President's motorcade stop so he could shake my hand, and I like the guy. Imagine that.
With the level of hatred against the President in the country right now, I'm not surprised by this. Was there no where (bridges/overpasses, hillsides etc) these people could have "free-speeched"? Just because we have a first amendment, doesn't mean people are allowed to get in his face to disagree with him.
W should have had the decency to parade on foot like Hillary in NYC. Then his royal minions could have beat the snot out of dissenters (like Hillary).
Get over it. The Secret Service is following policies put in place over 10 years ago. I speak from experience in trying to exercize free speach against the Clintons.
Yes, Dane. I know the SOP of "killing the messenger" when the facts are embarassing.
But I don't play that game. I don't care who wrote the article. I care that Americans were denied free speech and assembly because of their political views while others who cheerlead the government are not.
Go on, surprise me and actually address that point.
Exactly what is the connection between protesters and assassination attempts?
Hinkly was posing as a supporter.
This policy has nothing to do with safety and everything to do with a nice clean photo-op.
Those with critical views were forced to leave or face arrest.
Those who do not remember history, are condemned to be freeeee.....
Um, isn't that part of why we don't want to elect Clintons?
I wonder how many of these protesters thinks it's just dandy to not allow pro-life demonstraters near abortion clinics. Goose, meet gander.
Get back to me when they close down LAX again like they did when King Bulbnose had his arse hairs pucked on the tarmac.
Get back to me when they close down LBJ Freeway (!!) in Dallas just because King JizzWhizz needed an entrance and an exit to and from his brother's wedding.
"Look pal, When a VIP comes to town stuff gets disrupted, it life. This is about the only country where you could write this about it's leader and not get into trouble. I'm fighting for your right to say those things. if it wasn't for strong leaders like President Bush there would be no America to defend.
So F you and the horse you rode in on..."
Damn right PING!!!
Blah, blah, blah. Yada, yada, yada. Who cares if you are promoting an article by someone who no doubt is among the hate America crowd.
Guess the author forgot about Clinton's barber appointment at LAX.
The SS does what the pres says. If he says non violent protesters stay then they do.
No president in the last 10 years has any respect for free speech or assembly.
"Guess some folks just have a NEED to complain about anything President Bush does."
Unfortunate but true PING.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.