Can we ignore her yet?

Can we please ignore Cindy Sheehan and banish her from the television camera now?

Comments

[Evil_Lonnie]

Yeah, I thought she had a point before, but this one was inexcusable...

[seeker]

Who is she? ;) Nm.

[Ed Darrell]

Should we ignore our troops in Iraq, too? Two women were ejected from the House galleries. One was Cindy Sheehan. The other wore a t-shirt that said "support our troops."

Why don't you defend the First Amendment instead of voicing your obvious distaste for a woman who has every right to insist on a debate? You may disagree with the woman, but you don't need to be disagreeable about it. Our government has no business muzzling people just because George Bush is there. If he can't take the heat, let him get out of the kitchen.

IMHO, of course.

[Aaron]

Ed, I'll take the bait.

To be honest, I don't think the capital police should have removed her or the other lady simply for a t-shirt. If that is all the women did, then they should have been left alone. But some reports say Sheehan was being loud and disruptive before the speech. There are laws that say you cannot protest in the capitol building.

And just to respond to several of your statements - Both ladies were taking out, so how does that fit in with the conspiracy theory of Bush wanting to silence his critics? The fact that Sheehan was removed gave her even more attention and even more ability to voice her opinion.

I keep hearing this chorus of "muzzling" and the ever approaching doom of the First Amendment (anybody want to ask about the Second?), but how has Cindy Sheehan's freedom of speech been hindered? She has been on television, radio, internet, etc. spouting her views since last summer (hince the question of my post).

The freedom of speech does not mean that you can say whatever you want, where ever you want and have everyone listen. She was more than free to stand outside with the rest of the dozen or so protesters and yell till she lost her voice.

I'm simply tired of her being on the television every week with nothing new to say. I'm tired of her being the poster woman of people who have lost someone in the war. Over 2,000 American families lost someone in the war, some may believe as she does, but a vast number do not. You don't see them on TV every day equating their political enemies with terrorists. You don't see them taking trips to nations hostile to the US, lambasting politicians they disagree with and buddying up to dangerous dictators.

She certainly has the freedom of speech to say the things she says, but also have that same right to say that I am tired of hearing her speech promoted and glorified. I do not think she should be stopped from speaking, but her freedom of speech does not entitled her to free reign of the media.

[Ed Darrell]

I didn't say Bush was trying to silence just his critics. I noted that the excuse for getting these women out of the galleries was that Bush was there -- the same excuse used for the "private" meetings Bush has with 10,000 people, on your expense line.

It's reprehensible that the Bushies are so afraid of any criticism that they stifle all comment. It's dangerous, undemocratic. It's unAmerican.