Posted on 04/21/2006 12:39:37 PM PDT by Jack Black
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A heckler from the Falun Gong spiritual movement who disrupted a White House appearance by Chinese President Hu Jintao was charged in federal court on Friday with harassing, intimidating or threatening a foreign official.
A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's office in Washington said the misdemeanor charge carries a penalty of up to six months in jail.
The woman, who entered the White House grounds as a reporter, interrupted a formal arrival ceremony between Hu and President George W. Bush on Thursday and shouted: "President Hu, your days are numbered. President Bush, make him stop persecuting Falun Gong."
The embarrassing episode marred the South Lawn event and created a diplomatic stir. Bush personally apologized to Hu for the incident.
U.S. officials identified the woman as Wang Wenyi, 47, a reporter with The Epoch Times, an English-language publication strongly supportive of the meditation movement that is banned in China.
Spokesman Channing Phillips said she was arrested by the U.S. Secret Service and that the U.S. Attorney's office decided to proceed by filing the federal charge in court.
The law at issue bars harassing, intimidating or threatening a foreign official in the performance of their official duties.
When she was arrested, the heckler was charged with disorderly conduct. The spokesman said that charge, under local law, could be brought later.
(b) Whoever willfully—
(1) intimidates, coerces, threatens, or harasses a foreign official or an official guest or obstructs a foreign official in the performance of his duties;
(2) attempts to intimidate, coerce, threaten, or harass a foreign official or an official guest or obstruct a foreign official in the performance of his duties; or
(3) within the United States and within one hundred feet of any building or premises in whole or in part owned, used, or occupied for official business or for diplomatic, consular, or residential purposes by—
(A) a foreign government, including such use as a mission to an international organization;
(B) an international organization;
(C) a foreign official; or
(D) an official guest;
congregates with two or more other persons with intent to violate any other provision of this section;
shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than six months, or both.
Hmmmmmm??????
(d) Nothing contained in this section shall be construed or applied so as to abridge the exercise of rights guaranteed under the first amendment to the Constitution of the United States.
Of course, I did enjoy Rush's "Translation" of Hu's speech the other day.
"We....will bury you!"
LOL! ;-)
No, I would not. Bush's days as President are numbered. 1097 by my reconning. People shout stuff at Bush all the time, as others note. Getting on and off the Helicopter, etc. I'm sure he's heard similar things many times.
Did you actually hear this woman?
See post #20, at the bottom. The feds failed to read the entire statute.
So, true to form, the feds are not enforcing laws they should and enforcing laws they shouldn't.
Beat ya by a second!
Really? Well, I have a feeling the SS would take it as a threat. But you're welcome to test your theory. Have a good weekend, my friend.
And Cynthia McKinney runs around uncharged.
Wow, I'd like to borrow some of your meds sometime. I'm not getting nearly the buzz I used to.
So if it's alright with the Falun Gong lady, then it's alright for the Code Pink lady?
I must say, I was disappointed in the President.
President Reagan would have smiled, said something about this being America , land of free speech,, then apologized to the Premier for the interruption of his speech, and continued on. The heckler would have been escorted off the White House grounds, issue over.
President Bush got the deer in the headlights look, and his staff are blowing it by seeking prosecution of this lady for daring to speak up. Calling a communist dictator to task is not cause for a jail sentence, it used to get people medals.
There is no First Amendment right to "intimidate, coerce, threaten, or harasses a foreign official . . . in the performance of his duties".
Interestingly enough, this is under the same "assault" statute that they won't be charging McKinney with.
So much for all the media attention to the "free speech" rights of Americans vs. China's communist human rights violation government.
They sure look pretty similar now.
If you mean should they both be allowed to heckle, the answer is: yes.
My thought exactly.
"President Hu, your days are numbered. President Bush, make him stop persecuting Falun Gong."
THIS is THREATENING???
Perhaps in Red China - but not here - not until NOW that is!!
By the WAY, if this Lady get 6 months in jail just for exercising free speech, what will happen to champion cop-slugger McKinney??
I'm conservative, I supported Bush twice, and right now I'm pretty P.O.'d over the way he has been behaving lately.
His arrogance and lack of connection with public sentiment on this and many other issues, will cost us heavily at the polls in 2006 and possibly 2008, if his keepers don't take him in hand and control him.
Say, doesn't this leave Bush with egg on his face...I mean he had just finished admonishing Hu to let the Chinese speak freely...???
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