Wonky Muse

January 31, 2006

Breaking News: Cindy Sheehan Arrested at SOTU

This just in from the LATimes:

WASHINGTON -- Activist Cindy Sheehan, who was invited to President George W. Bush's State of the Union speech, has been arrested, according to CNN. Sheehan, who was invited to attend the address by California's Democratic Rep. Lynn Woolsey, was reportedly already seated in the House chamber when she was detained, CNN said.

A Capitol police official reportedly said Sheehan had unfurled a banner, which is a violation of House rules.

Update:

Here are photos of Cindy entering the House Chamber before the speech started, being pointed to her seat and being escorted out.

Images from Reuters/Jason Reed via yahoo.com.

The LATimes filed an amended report quoting a Capitol Police spokeswoman who said Sheehan was arrested not for unfurling a banner but for a wearing "a T-shirt with an anti-war slogan to the speech and covered it up until she took her seat". Sheehan was supposedly warned that such displays were not allowed but "she did not respond" and was removed from the gallery before Bush arrived for his speech.

Brad Blog reports that arrest was confirmed by afterdowningstreet.org's David Swanson:

Cindy was "arrested for wearing the shirt she was wearing all day, which had the number of U.S. troops killed in Iraq...She was lifted out of her seat [in the Capitol Chamber gallery] by the Capitol Police and taken away."

[...]

"This not the Park Police," said Swanson. "We're used to getting arrested by them. This was the Capitol Police....She didn't even want to go to the speech, she said she couldn't stand to listen to Bush, but she went. She didn't even protest, she was just wearing the same shirt she'd be wearing all day, a black shirt with the number of troops killed. It was already 'out of date' and she had to add 3 more to the previous number."

So why are such t-shirts not allowed? Is it a "disruption" to make a silent display of your disapproval? Would she likewise be arrested if she was wearing an "I heart Bush" t-shirt? Would she likewise be arrested if she was hootin' & hollerin' approvingly like the Republicans on the House floor?

Or is "disruption" a code word for dissent?

posted at 6:30 PM by Wonky Muse

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