No Free Speech in Gilead
AP (via Buzzflash):

Two teachers arrested at a 2004 campaign rally for President Bush and strip-searched at a county jail have filed a lawsuit alleging law officers conspired to violate their constitutional rights.

Alice McCabe and Christine Nelson, both in their 50s, were among five protesters arrested at the Sept. 3 rally. The pair were handcuffed, taken to the county jail, strip-searched and charged with criminal trespass. The charges were dropped months later . . .

McCabe and Nelson — described in the lawsuit as political novices motivated by their opposition to Bush administration policies in Iraq — attended the rally at a city park, where McCabe held a sheet of paper urging, "No More War," and Nelson wore a John Kerry button.

As Pamela Leavey writes, "The questions must be asked. What is so threatening about a “No More War” sign or a Kerry button? Have these free speech items been deemed deadly weapons? Are they considered illegal contraband?"

Good questions all. I have one more. If more of us showed up at these events, would law enforcement be less likely to pull stunts like this?
- posted by TJ @ 10:45 PM