Followup to Civil Liberties post

[same_sky]

In this post, I mentioned this article about three women thrown out of one of Bush's speeches for indecent attire--namely, t-shirts that say "Protect Our Civil Liberties." That one bothered me almost more than anything else this election year, because it's such a symbol of what we've become. However, it's come to my attention that it was not an isolated incident, and not the worst of the lot, either.

I mean, there's always this one--you know, if Bush comes to speak at your high school, why shouldn't you be suspended for wearing a Kerry t-shirt or button? I mean, that whole "free speech" thing is so last year, so it sounds perfectly reasonable to me. But I'm particularly fond of this story about how an 18-year-old kid is threatened by a security officer that he would be shot if he protested. (Think I'm reading more into it than was meant? Here's the direct quotation: "If you protest, it won't be me taking you out. It will be a sniper.")

I keep hearing people say that freedom isn't free whenever someone questions the administration. It's funny, I always assumed they meant that the price of freedom does not come without cost. Apparently, it means that freedom is no longer a freedom.

(Okay, I'll try to stop posting about politics now. I know I'm preaching mostly to the choir anyway, but I'm really rather upset about the civil liberties and women's issues stuff, so I think about it an awful lot lately. Some of us have visits from Auntie Flo that last for four months without those birth control pills that certain people find so objectionable, and we all have to live in a world where we can't speak our mind anymore, so those are my two hot-button issues and I can't keep too quiet about it if I read stuff like this. Sorry.)

Comments

[drottningen.livejournal.com]

preach on sister! :)

[same-sky.livejournal.com]

I probably will if something else occurs to me. I have no willpower about these things.. ;)

[stewlis.livejournal.com]

Wow, that is crazy. I mean, I knew politics was crazy, but that's unreal and about as UNAmerican as it gets. Geez people, let's all act like two-year-olds if we don't get our way (though, even kids that age know better than to threaten to shoot each other for fear of punishment...what happened to that reasoning in adults?) Preach On!

[same-sky.livejournal.com]

That's exactly what I think. They scare me a whole lot. And what really bothers me is that generally, those kinds of people think that people who disagree with this sort of thing are the ones who are unamerican. That's just not right.

[lizardek.livejournal.com]

It all makes me think that if Kerry actually wins, none of us will know because it will be covered up or cheated or fixed or something. :( Unbelievable.

[same-sky.livejournal.com]

I wouldn't doubt it. These are scary people.. it almost makes me wish we were living on the other side of the pond sometimes.

[e11en.livejournal.com]

There's a statue outside of the National Archives down in Washington DC, and it sits on a pedestal that has the following phrase inscribed in it, "Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty."

Keep preaching to the choir, maybe someone will read something that finally opens their eyes.

And I added you back!

[same-sky.livejournal.com]

I can only hope that it will. I don't know if I honestly think Kerry will win, but I devoutly hope so.

[ozswede.livejournal.com]

This is quite scary really. We were always a bit bemused by the whole US election circus, but I can see that it's no laughing matter. Very sad.

[same-sky.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it's really delightful stuff. It scares me on many levels, but especially because this sort of mindset is trickling down into mainstream American interactions. You know how a parent has to set the example they want their kids to follow.. well, real people now have this attitude to a smaller degree, although it's not written up in newspapers all that often. Except when say, they pull a gun on someone who disagrees with their pro-Bush/anti-Kerry propoganda.. that one made the papers. I read about that earlier today but I didn't save the link, so I can't "prove" it.