Posted on 12/23/2002 12:46:56 PM PST by MotleyGirl70
Clinton campaign insider Patrick Halley revealed to NewsMax that "goon squads" were recruited to suppress protests at events for New York Sen. Hillary Clinton. Now one Clinton "goon squad" victim has come forward to tell his story.
The incident took place at New York City's Israeli Day parade at the height of Mrs. Clinton's 2000 campaign for the Senate, where, by all accounts, the then-first lady was roundly booed by the crowd as she stoically marched from block to block.
A member of the Web site FreeRepublic.com, dressed for the occasion as the devil, joined the crowd to add his voice to the protest. He recounted the episode:
"To suppress opposing views in the crowd, the Clinton campaign had people on both sides of the street walking the route with Hillary-but behind the barriers. They were carrying professionally printed pro-Clinton signs."
"Before she passed," he recalled, "they shoved me back and got in front of me, holding their signs in front of mine. However, my signs had a 3-foot handle and I raised them up."
At that point, recounts the FreeRepublic protester, "I was poked in the eye by a finger inserted to the eyehole in my mask."
In his recently released book, On the Road with Hillary, Mr. Halley details his eight-year stint as Mrs. Clinton's advance man, where one of the most important jobs was stifling protests like those staged by FreeRepublic, using physical intimidation when he deemed it necessary.
"Less genteel souls," Halley explaned, sometimes referred to his protest busters as "goon squads"-although he preferred the term "etiquette squads."
"I was proud of the fact that not one of them had ever been arrested," he boasts in the book.
Every now and then, Halley siad, even he would have to throw a punch or two.
During a trip to Moscow while Mrs. Clinton was first lady, the advance man recalled:
"A photographer blocked my way and, trying to get a picture of Hillary in her limo, pushed me. I hit him square in the face so hard I thought I'd broken my hand. His nose exploded in an eruption of blood and I was able to shove him out of the way and jump into the lead car."
When it came to his protest busters, Halley says he "never advocated physical confrontation and always insisted that the etiquette squad stay within the boundaries of the law."
But in the next breath he confessed, "Sadly, but inevitably, things sometimes got a little frisky, but my recruits knew how to handle themselves....I had heard rumors that they had been very adamant about defending themselves when set upon by protesters."
Comments on this so-called "etiquette squad."
Why am I not surprised Hitlary would have a "goon squad."
Doctor Raoul.
Dr. Raoul.
Does anyone know who this FReeper is who was poked in the eye?
To counteract that will require well-trained guerrila bone-crushers in the opposition, although it's too late now.
=============
You've got that right! Hillary Clinton could kick a blind man's dog and the press would cover for her.
A poke in the eye is bad, but at least you are around to tell about it.
One needs to understand that Hillary has multiple squads protecting her. She has her paid goon squad. She has the taxpayer funded Secret Service agents. She also has a rabid group of volunteers and fellow travelers.
I am reminded of the poor guy at a Bill Clinton townhall meeting who (if memory serve correctly was) hauled of to a local jail by the Secret Service for no real reason other than the guy might embaris the President. (We all know that Clinton was perfectly capable of embarising himself and needed no assistance).
The point is that all of the squads protecting Hillary are capable of acting in inappropriate ways. Protestors should alwasy be law-abiding and should be wary for their own personal safety. Hopefully, if things like this continue and can be documented, people will be able to submit such information to government agencies when Hillary backers try to get city permits for parades, rallies, etc. so that the activities can be blocked and the public protected from violence.
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.