-Caveat Lector- BIG DEAL. Nothing new here from the last 10 years. How about the Senator from N.Y. ?NO ONE IS ALLOWED TO MAKE EYE CONTACT. On Wed, 13 Jun 2001 22:11:36 EDT William Shannon <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: > <A > HREF="http://www.tampatrib.com/News/MGAMJK95WNC.html";>http://www.tampatri b.com/News/MGAMJK95WNC.html</A> > > > > Jun 12, 2001 > > What security issue did they mean? > MAURICIO ROSAS > > President George W. Bush was in Tampa on June 4 for a public > appearance at > the New York Yankees' Legends Field. Some friends and I were excited > about > the opportunity to see ``Dubya.'' We had tickets to be directly in > front of > his podium and we had our letter-size signs ready to show when he > came on > stage. > > When I arrived at the stadium, the rest of the group had not > arrived. So I > walked across the pedestrian bridge to meet them. It was very hot > and there > was little shade, so I stood under a small palm tree and waited for > my > friends. I waited quietly on the opposite side of the stadium > grounds near > the entrance of the pedestrian bridge. While I waited, a Tampa > police officer > said I couldn't stand there holding my sign. I explained I was > merely waiting > for some friends. He said I was on private property, and it was > illegal for > me to wait there with those signs. At first I just stood there and > ignored > him. Again he confronted me. He said that I could not stand there > and that I > could not bring those posters into the stadium. I told him it was a > public > rally and he could not regulate my speech or my message. Irritated > and angry, > the officer left. > > Meanwhile, a young mother and child arrived and joined me under the > shade. I > gave her a ticket to see the president. As I moved among the groups, > I > distributed extra entry tickets. > > Finally, my friends arrived and we went onto the pedestrian bridge. > As we > moved swiftly through the pedestrian overpass, some guy in a blue > suit > started to run behind us, yelling, ``You can't take those posters in > there!'' > Yet when we walked through the metal detectors, our bags were > searched, our > signs were in plain view and we were allowed in without incident. > > When we entered the stadium, we could see around us that this was an > orchestrated political event that was manipulated and controlled by > the > president and his staff. We could see Secret Service agents, Bush > operatives > and police handing out pro-Bush signs. In some instances they were > replacing > dissenting signs with pro-Bush signs. > > The president cannot use the police or Secret Service to suppress > political > ideas. > > Once we arrived at our spot in front of the podium, we saw other > people > holding up signs, so my friend, Suni, began showing her sign that > read > ``Investigate Florida Votergate.'' Then I took out my ``June is Gay > Pride > Month'' sign and began holding it high above my head for everyone to > see. > > It was then that Bush operatives, Secret Service and police began > demanding > that we put away the signs. In particular, they wanted me to lose my > gay-pride sign. The Secret Service, police and other Bush operatives > tried to > forcibly rip the sign out of my hands. They hollered, ``Lose the > `gay' sign > and you can stay.'' Some people hollered, ``This is not a gay > rally!'' ``You > don't belong here!'' yelled a group wearing Idlewild Baptist Church > shirts. > Some man even took a lunge at me. The police, Secret Service and the > people > around were demanding I take down my ``gay'' sign. They were also > demanding > that my friends put down their ``Boo'' and ``Investigate Florida > Electiongate!'' signs. > > They were hired to hand out pro-Bush flyers. > > When I was asked to exchange my sign, I said, ``No!'' They demanded > I drop > the ``gay'' sign. I was asked if I would prefer to be arrested > rather than to > get rid of the sign. They kept trying to tear it away from me. I > then fell to > the ground. They said again, ``If you give up the sign, you can > stay!'' I > said, ``If you intend to take my sign, then you will have to carry > me out.'' > I asked, ``Why?'' They said the signs are a security issue! We told > them our > signs went through the official check-in point. > > I had a letter-size piece of paper that had on it ``June is Gay > Pride Month'' > in bold letters. What type of security issue does the word ``gay'' > have? What > harm did I pose to the president? > > I was holding up a sign that expressed my views. While we were in > view of the > podium, Bush's operatives called one another on their walkie-talkies > to bring > more pro-Bush signs to the podium area. These same operatives > allowed the > crowd around us to become unruly, offensive and violent. > Simultaneously, > several other officers and operatives were trying to rip the sign > from my > hands. His operatives used the occasion to demonstrate how they > handle > dissent. They arrested us, we were dragged out and the mob cheered. > This was > a rally for the intolerant. > > > <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/";>www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. 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