Was Cindy Sheehan stupid to get herself arrested over that T-shirt?

[derby378]

I love her to death, but Congressmen don't just hand out tickets to the House Gallery on the street. Rep. Woolsey gave Cindy a golden opportunity to stare down Nero at the podium, and she blew it.

That said, I still hope she runs against DiFi. But she needs to regain her self-control. If, that is, the banner is the real reason she was arrested.

On edit: Title originally said "banner" instead of "T-shirt," changed on further revelation.

[TomInTib]

Dumb thing to do, just gives 'em more ammo. At least she didn't do it

during the speech.

They probably would have shot her on the spot.

Just kidding, but she needs to get some new advisors.

[BuyingThyme]

7. Ammo for what? For attacking somebody who stands up and

tells the truth?

What are you talking about?

[xiamiam]

1. not a banner..the t shirt she was wearing

[TomInTib]

5. t shirt? To SOTUS?

O K, she needs to get new advisors with a sense of taste.

This is gonna look really sophomoric when the hangover wears off.

[xiamiam]

10. why not...its 2006....people wear jeans and t shirts to make million

dollar deals...and who is she supposed to be dressing for anyway?..bush?....she always wears a t shirt...ever see her in anything other than a t shirt?..hasnt dimimished her impact because she not wearing gucci//ghheeezh...

[Cooley Hurd]

2. You know, something smells fishy about this...

Cindy's w-a-y too savvy to blow an opportunity to stare Chmipy McFucknuts down.

[derby378]

3. That's a thought, but she's has been coached on her focus before

This happened even in the early days of Camp Casey.

[dogday]

9. Thank you and as a Mother of a Soldier In Iraq

I would have to say if it were me, I would of not passed up the opportunity to stare that bastard down... I would of followed every rule and I am sure the representative told her that as well....

[SmokingJacket]

4. Wait for the whole story... might not be as it seems... nt

[greenisin]

6. I don't think she wasted it!

She's on every news channel and every news show now. Sitting quietly and doing nothing doesn't get you air time. Getting pigs to attack you and show their true anti-freedom stance is always a worthwhile thing to do whether you're at an open air demonstration where the cops decide to illegally arrest people at random or at the SoTU where they randomly decided to attack and kidnap her. No matter what, she's getting GREAT air time at the moment.

[derby378]

8. That came to my mind, too - Cindy IS the story now, not SOTU

Maybe she planned it that way?

[brook]

16. She's getting great airtime...

for all the wrong reasons. Stupid move on her part.

[Skip Intro]

11. Um, WHAT banner?

[bpilgrim]

12. FUCK THAT OUR LEADERS ARE RAPING TORTURING & MURDERING

around the GLOBE, hello...



peace

[meisje]

13. she's not very smart or is getting terrible advice

[meganmonkey]

19. That, or we live in a POLICE STATE

where you can get arrested for a t-shirt. With the word "DEAD" and a number. What is happening in our country?

[Wind Dancer]

31. Bingo!

Thanks for addressing the real issue.

[meganmonkey]

34. I just can't believe that some people think the t-shirt was a bad idea

without even realizing what a bad idea arresting someone for a t-shirt is! I'm flabbergasted :crazy:

[Lars39]

14. Bush wouldn't have cared that she was in the audience.

As it is now, she has become the first Gold Star Mother to be arrested at the SOTU.
It hight lights just how shabby the families are treated and how many rights we are losing, imo.

[Cleita]

15. I see the censorship police are alive and well.

She was wearing a T-shirt with the number of soldiers killed. Is that a banner? Is she not allowed to make a statement?

Fuck them all!!! I am pissed!!!!

[derby378]

18. If it carried a political message, then the answer is "yes"

Everyone has to be on their best behavior at least until the speech starts.

[Name removed]

17. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[donco6]

20. I think Cindy was stupid to lose her seat for a Tshirt.

Yes. I do.

[Canuckistanian]

21. NO.

The wearing of T-shirts, unless they have a pornogrphic or violent message should be protected by 1st Amendment.

[Disturbed]

28. Bravo for her!

She does not represent the Dem Party, btw. She did the right thing in drawing attention to the illegal Amerikan Occupation of Iraq.

[TorchTheWitch]

33. I thought it was

I understood that the Supreme Court has consistently ruled that t-shirt slogans and banners are protected free speech unless they're disruptive like in school. I think that at the SOTU address anyone should be able to have banners or t-shirt slogans or placards, or whatever... as long as there's no verbal disruption, what's the problem? This trampling of 1st Amendment rights, particularly free speech "zones" really pisses me off.

[Sugarcoated]

22. Wonder what it said?!

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

23. I love her too, but agree it was foolish. I don't support her running

against difi though. I think the world of her and want her to keep it up every bit as much as she has. Cindy does speak for me. But I think she used an INCREDIBLE opportunity quite foolishly.

But alas, no one is perfect and we all make our mistakes.

[sandnsea]

24. T-shirt is no big deal

If it is what I later heard, numbers of dead on a shirt, then she should have been allowed to stay. I originally thought it was a banner too and agreed with you. But if it was just a shirt, no big deal. Although I'd rather she'd stared him down too.

[AlCzervik]

25. if they didn't chuck her out for that they would have invented some reason

to get rid of her.

[SmokingJacket]

26. WHo expects to get arrested for a tee-shirt?

I mean, shit, she had a ticket, right?? It's public property, right? AIEEEE!

[napi21]

27. Here's the slip from WP.

WASHINGTON -- Cindy Sheehan, the mother of a fallen soldier in Iraq who reinvigorated the anti-war movement, was taken into custody by police in the House gallery Tuesday night just before President Bush's State of the Union address.

Police escorted Sheehan from the visitors' gallery above the House chamber after causing a disruption, said a Capitol Police official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because details of the incident were sketchy.


Rep. Lynn Woolsey, D-Calif., had invited Sheehan to the address as her guest.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/31/AR2006013101500.html

[upi402]

29. * is afreared ah that little gal

chickenshit hawk

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

30. Arresting Cindy for a T-shirt sure shows how "strong" Amerika is.

Welcome to fascism.

[derby378]

32. I have to agree with you there

It does make Nero look rather petty, even if I have issue with her tactics.

[cheezus]

35. BRILLIANT! Anything to disctract the puppet show

The whole idea of protest actions is to get attention. If the puppet theatre spends a little less time fawning over bush as a result, it';s good news.

[OneBlueSky]

36. Cindy did exactly the right thing . . .

if she didn't shift the focus from the SOTU, she at least forced the media to split its focus some . . .

as for staying to "stare down" Bush . . . he wouldn't even have seen her . . . rather than sitting there and nodding, she did something to try to get people's attention . . . attention to the number of American casualties in Iraq (which the press is ignoring), and attention to BushCo's complete disdain for First Amendment rights (which the press is also ignoring) . . . if she doesn't do it, who will? . . . you? . . . the Congress? . . . the press? . . .

if Cindy helped to awaken just a few more people, she accomplished a hell of a lot more than she would have sitting on her hands while politely listening to more BushCo lies . . . her son would be immensely proud of her . . .

[azurnoir]

37. Really

it's already backfired on them 'cause if she hadn't been arrested how many would have noticed the T-shirt

[blogslut]

38. Arresting someone for a t-shirt

...is what is stupid. Cindy, on the other hand, is brilliant.