Bush event exclusions ripped (congress JUST NOW sees gwb restricts access)

It's old news to all of us, but at least it's getting some scrutiny.)


Heave-ho of foes riles lawmakers on both sides of aisle

By Ann Imse, Rocky Mountain News
April 1, 2005

Members of Congress from both parties on Thursday raised sharp questions about the exclusion of political opponents from two taxpayer-funded appearances by President Bush.

snip>

The Denver incident happened after a list was discovered in Fargo, N.D., naming 42 people to be barred from a Bush speech there in February attended by 8,000 people.

North Dakota's two Democratic senators, Kent Conrad and Byron Dorgan, on Thursday jointly called for an investigation into the list. And the state's lone congressman, Democrat Earl Pomeroy, was quoted by the Fargo Forum as saying the list now appears to be standard operating procedure for the White House, rather than an isolated incident.

MKJ
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_3666321,00.html

edited for clarity

using "plausible denial" as their MO.

It's gotten to the point where MSM doesn't call the BFEE on anything until it goes over the top. (need more coffee, I'm too reliant on acronyms this morning).
MKJ

poll on elction day-- they brought phony terrorist threats.
so. it's not the first time.....

Not just bush...in October, a few days before a cheney-led rally at Clermont County Airport, a general-aviation field just east of Cincinnati, a friend went to GOP campaign office in Batavia, the county seat. She asked for three passes to the rally; they asked her name and some other data, went to a laptop, then told her "no way you're getting into this event." They kept her waiting about an hour; they REALLY wanted to ID her.
The damning evidence? She was a Democrat, and they said she'd attended a Bill Clinton book-signing in DC! I guess she told me the truth; that's an unlikely invented tale.
And I had the pleasure of sticking a poster in dickie's limo-face as he departed another airport where he arrived 1p.m. on AFTwo. As he and convoy passed by, a guy right behind us yelled out, REALLY loudly "Get the hell out of Iraq!" We talked with to him after; he's an ER surgeon, already had one tour at Baghdad Airport medical facility, was headed back this past Jan. A former life-long republican, he said we don't know "half of what's really happening over there." He voted Kerry, BTW.

Okay, does this terrify anyone else? How would they know she attended a book-signing? Do Repub office workers have access to Secret Service files?

Maybe, with the Patriot Act they've made all booksellers send info in on anyone who buys a liberal book? I don't get it. How do they know and more importantly, why?

who protects the president and might have files. It could be FBI lists or some other agency.

But how does a worker in the Repub office know that someone who comes in for tickets to a different event much later have any information about someone who went to a book signing? Why, indeed? How are the no=fly lists made? Who decides if you are added to one of these lists?

only asks for your first name when you call to put a book on 'hold'.

i'm sure any first name would do!

Aren't "Oaths of Loyalty" pretty solid evidence?

"The Albuquerque Journal reported on Friday that people seeking tickets to the Cheney event who could not be identified as GOP partisans -- contributors or volunteers -- were told they could not receive tickets unless they signed an endorsement form saying "I, (full name) . . . do herby (sic) endorse George W. Bush for reelection of the United States." The form warns that signers "are consenting to use and release of your name by Bush-Cheney as an endorser of President Bush.""

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A31019-2004Jul31.html

may as well be Bill Frist diagnosing someone from a video tape

</bad analogy>

Which reminds me that the media can sure get into the Terri Schiavo stuff and not a word about the killer,Eric Rudolph these days. Would the same circus mentality support the bomber with a cause? I think so!

blame on locals - the story makes whoever did it look bad - and thus deflect blame back to the top - and given the consistency of the story, that is where it belongs. Whole story is playing out like the back and forth of who was responsible for the "Mission Accomplished" Banner. In the end - the public gets the picture... but somehow keeps forgetting again about the extent to which this is a staged presidency.

Hee hee hee

Rather!

while eating pretzels or flying over the handlebars.

C'mon, if your message is so great, let's let everyone hear it (wink,wink, nudge, nudge) MKJ

"He's very effective on his feet. I think we would be well-served by having different points of view, and he can make a stronger case."

:rofl:

Heck, a show where he tries to think on his feet about a substantive issue would be worth the price of admission for sure!

with disaster striking. If people (the MSM) had been watching, they'd know that this crap has been going on for months.
What do you want to bet the SS tour STOPS now that they have to let the light of day into the room? No way Chimpy McCokespoon is going to face REAL (not hand picked) Americans. He's a coward.

"A document prepared by American Civil Liberties Union lawyers said Janis Lentz, 56, of Tampa, Sonja Haught, 61, of Clearwater, and Mauricio Rosas, 38, of Tampa, had their free-speech rights violated and were unlawfully arrested at the public Bush rally on June 4, 2001.

"According to the complaint, the three took signs to the event calling for an investigation of the 2000 presidential election and reading "June is Gay Pride Month."

"Police told them to put away the signs or leave. When they refused and asked the officers why people with pro-Bush signs were allowed to stay, they were handcuffed and forcefully removed from the grounds."

http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/news.aspx?id=3239

I'd like to see someone set him up by making the whole freaking building into a faraday cage and then blasting inside it with spark gap coils. Knock out his audio feed and watch the idiot try to not step on his dick for an hour.

A year ago or thereabouts, Bush completely humiliated himself at an event for minority journalists. It was proof that he is well nigh incapable of thinking on his feet.

gwb deal with unscripted questions. LOL, I remember seeing the live broadcast at that event and LMAO at his answer. MKJ

"It's her night -- we should let her talk if she wants to..."

A UofA student wasn't allowed in to an event in Tucson a couple of weeks ago (the same day as Denver or the day before??) for wearing a University of Arizona Young Democrats t-shirt.


Discussion about it in the AZ forum:


http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=139x1690

and here, also in the AZ forum:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=139x1684

taxpayer-supported bush event, and this story is just beginning to reveal the transgressions against the US public... BUSHCO HATES US FOR OUR FREEDOMS.

makes it sound like these are isolated events. And they are NOT!

But I doubt if MSM will pick up this story and run with it. Too many other hot topics to debate there - Terri, Pope, Michael Jackson, steroids, etc.

Maybe I'm just too pessimistic this AM.

Hand out tickets, deny anyone with an opposing view, then refuse to take responsibility:

Bush protesters say rights were muzzled

But the Legends Field rally was private, a Secret Service spokesman said, so the hosts were free to bar whom they chose.

By CHRISTOPHER GOFFARD

© St. Petersburg Times,
published June 6, 2001

TAMPA -- Amid throngs gathered to see President Bush on Monday, the three protesters stood with signs that said "Investigate Florida Votergate" and "June is Gay Pride Month."

The crowd at Legends Field jostled them, hurled invective, grabbed their signs from their hands and even threw punches, the protesters say. Security officers saw the disturbance and gave the protesters a choice: Give up the signs or leave.
>snip<

The protesters say the police response muzzled their First Amendment rights. But a Secret Service spokesman called the rally "essentially a private function" that required a ticket for entrance, comparing Legends Field to a church rented for a wedding.
>snip<

On the night of the arrests, Tampa police spokeswoman Katie Hughes said the Secret Service had instructed police that anti-Bush signs within eyeshot of the president were a security risk.

Not so, said Gregory Mertz, the special agent in charge of the Secret Service office in Tampa. "If someone holds up a sign, no matter what it says, for the most part, he has a right to hold up that sign," Mertz said. He said the Secret Service doesn't get involved unless there's danger to the president.

If the host of a rally decides someone is causing a disturbance -- in this case the host being Legends Field -- it's up to them to respond, Mertz said.
http://www.sptimes.com/News/060601/TampaBay/Bush_protesters_say_r.shtml

---

note: There's more on this event here: http://www.protestzone.com/archive.htm

The charges were dropped. This seems to be the SOP (standard operating procedure) for these incidents.

---

7 protesters arrested; ticketholders kept out
By JOHN BALZ and MIKE BRASSFIELD
© St. Petersburg Times
published November 3, 2002

>snip<
Free tickets to Saturday's rally at the Sun Dome were available at local Bush-Brogan campaign offices.

At least six volunteers for the McBride campaign said they obtained tickets to the Bush rally because they wanted to hear the president speak. However, they said, Republican organizers confiscated their tickets and turned them away at an entrance gate because of the McBride buttons they were wearing.

"I'm a USF student. That's a public university. I don't see how they can deny us entrance when the tickets were free," said John Dutty, 37, of Tampa. "I could understand if we were causing a commotion inside the event, but we weren't being disruptive."

A spokeswoman for the Jeb Bush campaign said Saturday night that the campaign had the right to turn McBride supporters away because the rally was a private event.
>snip<
http://www.sptimes.com/2002/11/03/TampaBay/7_protesters_arrested.shtml

---

and these ticket-only 'town hall' meetings? Oh, puhlease...


White House seeks people to meet
By ANITA KUMAR, Times Staff Writer
Published February 1, 2005
http://www.sptimes.com/2005/02/01/Worldandnation/White_House_seeks_peo.shtml

---

Pinellas resident makes forum cut
By MICHAEL VAN SICKLER, Times Staff Writer
Published February 5, 2005

>snip<
They wanted to know what the registered Republican thought of President Bush's State of the Union address from the previous night. Then they asked him what he thought about Social Security. Four probing phone calls later, Browne was invited to attend Bush's town hall meeting at the Tampa Convention Center on Friday afternoon.

Browne shared the stage with three other handpicked Floridians during a "discussion" with Bush about the future of Social Security before an invitation-only crowd, many of them employees of Raymond James]. Tampa was the fifth and last stop on a two-day tour in which Bush held town hall meetings with screened audiences to promote an overhaul of the federal program.
>snip<

About 100 people who opposed Bush's effort to privatize Social Security were sent seven blocks away to Curtis Hixon Park by police to express their views
>snip<
The president's motorcade did not pass these protesters.
>snip<

- and the capper-
"I think the whole idea of today was to have a bipartisan discussion," Browne said. "The president is open to ideas. That's the message I heard today."
http://www.sptimes.com/2005/02/05/Tampabay/Pinellas_resident_mak.shtml

---

Sorry to run on. Geeze, get me started...

soup
(who won't be invited to attend anytime soon)

What a great bumper sticker/poster/T-shirt slogan!

The freedom to be allowed in "Free Amendment Zones"?
No thanks. Thats not freedom. I'm surprised that the Libertarians have been as quite as they have been during bushco's reign. You would think they would be ripping the turds a new a-hole weekly.

They rip Bush and the neocons daily. Lew Rockwell once responded to one of my emails by calling them "Fascisti."

www.lewrockwell.com

Of course, being pure Libertarians they hold some opinions that I think unrealistic and sometimes even bizarre. Nevertheless, it's a refreshing read and is often compelling.

I am a amazed how our plights are so intertwined yet our core beliefs are so different. I guess bush the lesser really is a Uniter after all.

which would easy hold up in court.

This scheme affects everybody, whether they be Democrat or Republican, yet no Democrat is allowed in to ask a simple question about his/her future? What if John Kerry were president and attmepted the same thing? How can we change this way of thinking that allows the Republican machine to continue steamrolling over everybody and gets a free pass?

was elected (by 123 votes), however, at least he is speaking up about this, since his office handed out the tickets. As a constituent, I will email him and thank him for his inquiry. MKJ

President's Memphis town-hall meeting: only those in agreement could stay

Other news services covered the story of President Bush's meeting in the Cannon Arts Center on March, 11,2005. People who were not in agreement with the President's plan for Social Security were "...quickly silenced or escorted out by security." The Washington Post (March 11) stated that only "carefully screened panelists" were admitted to this meeting which was to be for the citizens to inquire and learn about Social Security.

If people want 'everything on the table' why are those who disagree or want to present and discuss other information being shown the exit when it comes to discussing the matter?

Washington Post URL for story: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A28120-20...


Sincerely,

should be made public and voiced loud and clear to every available media.

What he and his backers are doing is a disgrace to our nation but until MSM picks this up, nothing will be done. Shout it out to your Senators, Representatives and in LTTEs.

where I live. The tiniest show of dissent and people are ejected from any event that * attends, not just town hall meetings. I would think that town hall meetings by the very use of the term would be open to anyone wanting to attend. We should have the right to ask questions about his plans for the country. But only people who agree with him are allowed to ask questions.

Here if anyone shows any form of disloyalty or disagreement with the "Pres." they are ejected AND arrested. They are not just threatened with arrest. And the police can be brutal to those they arrest, shoving them around, pushing them to the ground, and otherwise menacing them while they are being placed under arrest.

And the MSM is only now getting around to noticing? I hardly think so.

I know I'm preaching to the choir here, but * cannot handle any kind of disagreement, let alone actual protest at his events. He does not even see the people who are protesting against him. Protesters are relegated to specific spots so they can't even get near the event. The limo route is carefully chosen so that he doesn't have to pass by the crowds of protesters. He is a paranoid bully.

Wake up sheeple.Shrub and company are destroying this country. Their utter disregard for our constitution is disgusting.

They are Republican Party political rally’s and should be paid for by the RNC and not by the American taxpayer.

Exactly!

And, Welcome! :hi:

what assholes

It goes along with worthless congressional investigations where the real aim is getting GOP face time on the nightly news. The whole GOP is being subsidized by our tax dollars.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/top10/01/top10_2001_28.html

George W. Bush
Last week: 4 Weeks on chart: 20 - It seems that George W. Bush is so very popular with the public that his handlers had to, um, rent a crowd for him when he appeared at the Jefferson Memorial on July 2nd. A letter sent from a visiting Californian to the Washington Post last week revealed the extent of Bush's fear of "real people." Here's the letter in full: "On July 2, I was touring the Jefferson Memorial with family and friends. Then a policeman ordered everyone to leave. People objected, dawdled and asked why. He was forceful, even rude, and ordered us all out of the monument. We all stood around, cordoned off, to wait to see what was happening. Soon President and Mrs. Bush arrived by motorcade. Imagine our surprise when we saw television coverage of the event showing the Bushes shaking hands with "visitors" to the memorial. What visitors? We had been rudely ejected. The visitors must have arrived in the motorcade or been bused in around the other side of the building while the real visitors were rudely herded out. This is democracy?" Sorry, ma'am - democracy was herded outside and cordoned off last year. Didn't you hear?


Is this converting public property to private use?

and that is an important message.

Seriously, isn't there some taxpayer organization that can sue Bush&Co for misuse of public funds?? How about just a class action suit by concerned citizens?? Anybody have any ideas how to make this issue explode and get real coverage in MSM? It just pisses me off to no end that our tax dollars are funding what are repub party events.

What is this man going to do when he is no longer pResident?
How is he planning to deal with reality?

I ask because
I am concerned that the War pResident
may try to remain in power after these four moran years are up.

doesnt he lose his entourage at that point? secret service is no longer his to use right? i would love to see him struggle. what would it take for him to seriously have to deal with shame and i dont know, lose all his money or something? the bastard needs to feel what happens to real people, whose lives he is fucking up.

21st amendment.

On September 10, 2001,
the newspapers were set to release the news that
whichever way you cut it,
Gore won.
Some of them actually did print this.
Others were persuaded to delay the news for a few days.
The only thing that anyone remembers about that week is the events of
September 11.
Trifecta.

I wonder if the Praetorian Guard will continue to be as accomodating to Caligula as they were when THEY actually ruled Rome.

can you provide a link?

so he can continue to prosper like his daddy is.

or... he will go on to cause further mischief. if a Repug prez is selected in '08 they can probably plug * into any number of slots.

there is only one way these assholes ever go away.

"public" meetings?

a couple of days worth of story... at the very very least!

Wish the media types here at DU would push this up!

The Czars were probably more in touch.

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

...to those of us who have been paying attention. (p)resident jackass is a fraud. (more non-news for you!)

president. He sure as hell isn't my president, am I wouldn't go see the bastard if they paid me $1000.

What planet is he living on? Jeez, if this is how clueless most of the Dem leadership is, we are in deeper doo-doo then I thought possible.

going on here...

Ok, here's a quick question...in all the posts, it seems I'm always hearing "I got the tickets through (republican rep/senator) office".
So here's my question?

Are these townhall meetings only being held in states with ALL republican congressmen? If not, why haven't democratic congressmen also handing out tickets.

In other words, is the White House restricting the distribution of the tickets to these PUBLICALLY FINANCED non-private events to Republicans only? And if so, is calling these town-hall meetings "non-partisan" as totally bogus as it smells to me?

So, either they're Republican rallys (and by restricting the distribution of tickets to republican sources, the White Hose (misspelling intended) is to all extents and purposes admitting it)
and the Republican party should be paying ALL costs...after all, it's MY money, right...or they better DAMN well start letting democratic sources hand out tickets too!

with the list in hand, since they have not GOP federal officials. The Mayor's a red ass, but his office is technically non-partisan.

Then my suggestion is, next time one of these "Town-Hall" meetings is in a town where a republican congressman is handing out tickets, the democratic representatives (if there are any) should ask for tickets to hand out too. If they don't get them, it's pretty much an admission that it's a republican event, and they should be DEMANDING that the republican party pay ALL EXPENSES, as well as any media coverage of the event be told that it's a partisan event.

Let em hang themselves!

if there are both Republican and Democratic representatives in the area of a town hall type meeting, most of the tix will go toward the Repugs and a few token ones will go to the Democratic representative.

Just did a little detective work...here's a few words (from www.newsandsentinal.com) on the WV appearance:

Once he's finished at Public Debt, Bush will head to WVU-Parkersburg, where he will speak to a crowd of hundreds at the campus where Democratic vice presidential nominee John Edwards tried to rally support in a September campaign stop.

The event is open to the public, Gross said, but seating is limited and a ticket is required. People can call (304) 424-8363 for tickets.

OK, a little googleing got me the owner of that phone number:

Mountain Heritage FCU, Parkersburg WV
Manager, Connie Boyd (304)424-8363
www.mtheritagefcu.coop

Now, from what I understand, the Credit Union industry has some interest in seeing personal accounts implemented in Social Security reform, so I guess they'd probably be quite happy to handle the handing out of tickets in whatever way the Bush administration pleases.

Of course, I may be wrong...maybe the phone number has been reassigned recently. But I do note the following:

1 - Alan B. Mollohan, D
District Offices:
Clarksburg: (304) 623-4422
Morgantown: (304) 292-3019
Parkersburg: (304) 428-0493
Wheeling: (304) 232-5390

A Democratic rep has an office in Parkersburg, but I couldn't find a republican rep in that town. So why didn't they give Rep.Mollohan some tickets to give out?

How many are doing anything about this constant situation? It's happened so MANY times......what is it going to take for people to care?

Let us know when you find one. :)

lol:D

they do well for coming from such a conservative state.

we got into aNOTHer huge fight and i sent him these links plus one re: Patriot Act but what we have here is clearly a case of cognitive dissonance. we are up against a HUGE stupid factor here in the US... and I'm in a blue county, blue state.

:grr:

out of his own pocket. The whole bill. Air Force One, Secret Service, the room, the caterers, the whole ball of wax.

If these events were staged as political events by political staff using taxpaper dollars, then it's time to send GWB the bill.

They KNOW.. and if by some miniscule chance they do NOT, they need to FIRE their staff.

"I didn't know..." or "I haven't heard about..." is just a crafty dodge, so they don't have to answer difficult questions..


It's the Sgt. Schultz defense:)

They DO know.......but will never admit it.

dinners. No difference. But, on the taxpayers dime.

It's a I BC DT =

If Bill Clinton did this - how they would holler.

criticizing their exalted leader.

Mr. President: Let dissenters speak
Social security forums too scripted

April 4, 2005

Last week an unidentified Republican operative who may or may not have passed himself off as a Secret Service agent bounced three ticketed guests from President Bush's Social Security rally in Denver. He also threatened them with arrest if they misbehaved.

If these expulsions weren't illegal they were certainly a public relations disaster. Given the slackening of support, the president needs all the help he can get in selling his plan to reform Social Security.

snip>

If the president is to sell private Social Security accounts to the people and the Congress, he needs real flint-on-steel debate.

snip >

Republican organizers shouldn't spend their time screening for opponents. Constructive opposition is good for the president and the country.

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/opinion/article/0,1299,DRMN_38_3672804,00.html

Hardly a fiery condemnation, however, I'm starting to have some hope about the light of day belated shining on these "events".
Another poster wondered if gwb would be continuing his meetings after the exposure from this incident...has anyone heard about any more that are planned? MKJ