Citizens removed by Secret Service from Bush Social Security 'talk'

[chomskysright]

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/3/29/113651/512

There we were - three people who had personally picked up tickets from Republican Congressman Bob Beauprez's office and went to a presidential event. But as we entered, we were told that we had been "ID'ed" and were warned that any disruption would get us arrested.

After being seated in the audience we were forcibly removed before the President arrived, even though we had not been disruptive. We were shocked when told that this presidential event was a "private event" and were commanded to leave.

More astonishingly, when the Secret Service was contacted the next day they agreed to meet with us this Monday, March 28 to discuss the circumstances surrounding our removal. We had two big questions going into this meeting:


How is the Bush Administration "ID'ing" citizens before presidential events?

Why was an official taxpayer-funded event called a "private event" - leading to citizens being kicked out?

Most shocking of all, we got answers to both questions.
The Secret Service revealed that we were "ID'ed" when local Republican staffers saw a bumper sticker on the car we drove which said "No More Blood For Oil." Evidently, the free speech expressed on one bumper sticker is cause enough to eject three citizens from a presidential event. (Similarly, someone was ejected from Bush's Social Security privatization event in Arizona the same day simply for wearing a Democratic t-shirt.)

[Wonk]

1. more...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x1693284

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/C/CO_BUSH_COLORADO_COOL-?SITE=COCOL&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

[wtmusic]

2. The key phrase here is "taxpayer-funded"

outrageous. Even more outrageous that MSM won't report it
:grr:

[Fridays Child]

3. Frequent and willful misappropriation of public funds is the hallmark...

...of this administration.

[Extend a Hand]

4. this is such an OUTRAGE

why isn't EVERYONE in the entire country screaming about this!!!???
Geez, I hope it's not too late to save this country from facism


:scared: :scared:

[snippy]

5. Karl Rove put it best when he said: "It’s like being at a Nazi rally." n/t

[Extend a Hand]

7. scary...when did he say that

do you have a link?

[snippy]

11. It is in Bob Woodward's book "Bush at War."

There are many refernces to it on the internets.

[Extend a Hand]

12. thanks for the info

I'm still looking for that other internet ;)

[Lone_Star_Dem]

6. Here's the AP - Yahoo link on this story - Rate it up.

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050329/ap_on_re_us/bush_colorado_1

By P. SOLOMON BANDA, Associated Press Writer

DENVER - The Secret Service is investigating the claims of three people who say they were removed from President Bush's town hall meeting on Social Security last week because of a bumper sticker on their car that read: "No More Blood for Oil."

The three said they had obtained tickets to the event through the office of Rep. Bob Beauprez (news, bio, voting record), 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.

Alex Young, 25, who was among the three removed, said officials told them the next day they were identified as belonging to the "No Blood for Oil" group.

Lon Garner, the agent in charge of the Secret Service office in Denver, said the Secret Service had nothing to do with the three being asked to leave. Garner declined to release further details, citing an ongoing investigation.
more...

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Avg Rating: 4.63, 30 votes

[chomskysright]

8. hit a firewall re: CO Repugs: suggestions?

http://www.cologop.org/contact.html

[chomskysright]

9. CO Repub Party tel number: SLAM THEM: 3037583333

[seabeyond]

10. democrats are not allowed in this country anymore

our politicians that represent all of us, even if they are the other party, they still receive my dollar, they still provide me a service are saying out loud to all us democrats, you dont like it, move to a different country

i dont know, you would think that would piss everyone off

would have five years ago. all we allow, all we allow

went to dentist today. need a lot of work. insurance a flop. are we all to be toothless. all we allow all we allow

and we dont even seem bothered.

coould talk about yesterday test driving a car, discussion about gas prices and the future. said exactly that to the sales person and husband. all that we allow

wouldnt have a mere 5 years ago

[MissWaverly]

13. just heard your story on the Ed Schultz show

I hope everybody hears it! I think that it's totally a joke that someone can be thrown out of an event paid for out of taxpayer funds.
It also scares me that democracy has come down to judging people by their bumperstickers, and that people can be punished for freedom of speech which is what happened here.

[Greylyn58]

14. This is just pathetic!!

Out money is paying for him to bounce around the country telling his lies and yet these people get tossed from the event for a bumper sticker.

Unbelievable!!! :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: