Posted on 03/29/2005 11:36:57 AM PST by denver larry
DENVER (AP) -- The Secret Service says it is investigating the claims of three people who claim they were removed from President Bush's town hall meeting on Social Security last week after being singled out because of a bumper sticker on their car.
The three said they had obtained tickets through the office of Rep. Bob Beauprez, R-Colo., had passed through security and were preparing to take their seats when they were approached by what they thought was a Secret Service agent who asked them to leave.
One woman, Karen Bauer, 38, a marketing coordinator from Denver, said Monday the agent put his hand on her elbow and steered her away from her seat and toward an exit.
"The Secret Service had nothing to do with that," said Lon Garner, special agent in charge of the Secret Service office in Denver. "We are very sensitive to the First Amendment and general assembly rights as protected by the Constitution."
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The three who were removed, along with their attorney, Dan Recht, met with Garner on Monday. Recht said he may file a lawsuit based on the group's alleged violation of their First Amendment rights.
Garner said the group appeared confused as to who asked them to leave and declined to release further details, citing an ongoing investigation.
Alex Young, 25, an Internet technology worker from Denver who was among the three removed from the event March 17 at Wings over the Rockies, said officials told them the next day they were identified as belonging to the "No Blood for Oil" group.
Young said they belong to no such group, but the car they drove to the event had a bumper sticker that read: "No More Blood for Oil."
"I don't think a bumper sticker on a friend's car should disqualify me from seeing the president," Young said.
Beauprez distributed tickets to the event, which was part of President Bush's effort to gain support for his plan to overhaul Social Security. Messages left after-hours at Beauprez's office were not immediately returned Monday. A call to Bush's advance team in Denver went unanswered.
Lawrence Pacheco, a spokesman for Rep. Mark Udall, D-Colo., said the congressman has asked the Secret Service about the group's allegations.
Young, like Bauer and lawyer Leslie Weise, 39, is a member of the Denver Progressives, a political activist group. He said the three had T-shirts underneath their business attire that read, "Stop the Lies" and they had talked about exposing them during Bush's visit. He said they had scrapped the plan by the time they arrived at the museum.
Recht said the T-shirts did not play a role in the group's removal.
"They hadn't done anything wrong. They weren't dressed inappropriately, they didn't say anything inappropriate," Recht said. "They were kicked out of this venue and not allowed to hear what the president had to say based solely on this political bumper sticker.
"The very essence of the First Amendment is that you can't be punished for the speech you make, the statements you make," Recht said.
President Bush has visited at least 17 states to gain support for his plan to change Social Security, meeting with people who are generally supportive.
Some people who have stood up to disrupt Bush while he was talking have been removed. But a group called Americans United to Protect Social Security said there have been at least two instances where people have been removed or barred from a Bush event beforehand.
In February, a "black list" of people banned from getting tickets was obtained and published by the Forum newspaper. The White House and the Republican Party denied such a list existed and Gov. John Hoeven's staff said no one was denied tickets.
Brad Woodhouse, a spokesman for Americans United, called the Denver example the most egregious violation.
"They're screening the people who are allowed to come and then they're profiling them in the parking lot," he said. "It's quite extraordinary, and disappointing."
I think it is the job of the citizens to continuously scrutinize governement regardless of who we support.
Which may be true. He belongs to the Denver Progressives, which is probably to the left of the blood for oil folks!
At an event where President Bush was speaking in September, a disruptor emerged right next to where we were standing, no more than 20 feet from the lectern. The guys around us wrestled him to the ground while we waited for the obese police officer to get to him and remove him. If the SS was anywhere near, we didn't see them.
I'd like to see some kind of proof.
This kind of thing can so easily be fabricated unless they have an eye witness other than each other who can support their claims.
With Rathergate and now it appears, a new "Memogate", I put nothing past these whiners to get what they want.
At least they didn't get the shiite kicked out of them as happened to anti bubba protesters.
BUSH HATING FREEPERS: We believe this story verbatim as dictated by the MSM...
What goes around, comes around sooner or later......
BUSH HATING FREEPERS: We believe this story verbatim as dictated by the MSM...
That must be a very rare breed of Freeper then. I've not run into any that "hate" him.
I've run into quite a number who won't slop at the republican trough just because GW says to. I'm one of them.
I support the President in most of his endeavors, but on others I feel he is way off base.
Especially where the physical border security of our country is concerned.
You speak the truth
Because they're citizens of this country?
I'll be the first to say these people's claims seem to lack substance (they don't even know who wronged them), but your comment is just foolish.
Wise words.
What? You're not 100% in lock step with someone? Oh the shame.....
It's not extraordinary at all. Both sides do this.
Well, tough call. However, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be too keen on getting escorted out of a Hillary Clinton '08 event by the F.B.I for the "Bubba Raped Juanita" bumper sticker on the back of my truck.
Did they have cans of red paint or animal blood in the back seat of their car?
It was just an etiquette squad.
You have to be kidding.
You have to be kidding.
No I'm not kidding.
I have run into those who are angry with him, those who do not agree with him on all things. Even the odd DU'er who comes in trolling (technically NOT a freeper). But nobody who hates him.
I run into people who hate him every day. They may not use the word, but when their posts are indistinguishable from those at DU (and they are, and there are lots of them these days), one can reasonably surmise the underlying sentiment is the same.
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