High-Profile Protest Greets Cheney on Way to Rally (New Mexico)

[Robbien]

No protesters made it inside Rio Rancho Mid-High School on Saturday for Vice President Dick Cheney's rally: A controversial, I-support-President-Bush pledge that some rallygoers were required to sign helped see to that.

However, more than 100 anti-Bush-Cheney demonstrators near the school did have a few moments in the vice president's presence. Protesters yelled and waved their banners when his police-studded motorcade flashed by, and people inside Cheney's limousine waved back.

. . .

The protest drew people of all ages— from a 13-year-old Rio Rancho boy at his first protest to people in their 50s and 60s.

. . .
But several people at the protest said the Bush endorsement issue played a role in their decision to protest. "That's probably what got me down here," said Heather Barnes, 62, a Sierra Club member from Santa Fe who held a green sign endorsing John Kerry, Bush's rival in the November general election. "I just can't believe that you'd have to sign a paper."

http://www.abqjournal.com/elex/205570elex08-01-04.htm

[jean]

1. what do they do to you if you sign their endorsement, get in and then

protest during his speech? Does the endorsement have some kind of warning? This is very disgusting.

[WinterStorm]

2. You might have to give a blood sample prior to signing it

I was thinking the same thing.

What is up with that bunch of BS?

[jean]

3. here's some more discussion of these loyalty oaths

http://www.atrios.blogspot.com/2004_07_25_atrios_archive.html#109132221331627367


edit - discovered atrios' discussion of this topic

[WinterStorm]

4. Have they been doing that all along

Do you remember the parades that bused people in when Bush showed up?

I get a feeling that they have been doing this all along.

Is this Nazi tactics or what?

The Corporate owned media keeps commenting on how the crowds love Bush. I guess if I were a young Nazi endorsing Hitler I would cheer for him also.

What a load of shit!

A bunch of us should go sign the paper and then protest during their canned speech.

Something isn't right with the whole thing.

[yardwork]

13. I suspect the same thing

I think a lot of the "crowds" are church groups, anti-abortion groups, Bush loyalists, and paid followers who are bused from event to event, with the instructions to cheer W when he speaks.

They allow the few locals with the right credentials in to supplement the out of town crowds.

They can't hope to be picking up undecided voters this way. I worry that this is all staged to make it look like W has supporters, and the only reason to do that would be if they plan to steal the election.

[schultzee]

14. Its not right and this is just the beginning if ***** is elected in 2004

The Brown Shirts, or in ****'s case the red shirts will be out in force.

[UpInArms]

19. I protested the stolen election

when *Co appeared in KC in March 2001 - we were placed in a "1st amendment zone" as far from *Co as they could put us while they bused in freeper supporters (right outside the building) and bused in the "approved" audience.

This has been going on since day one of this maladministration.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

10. Cheney Needs Race of Arizona Daily Star Journalist

Further down the page is a reference "Sure Sounds Furrin":

"President Bush's re-election campaign insisted on knowing the race of an Arizona Daily Star journalist assigned to photograph Vice President Dick Cheney. The Star refused to provide the information."

Here's the Star article:
http://www.azstarnet.com/dailystar/dailystar/32301.php

[Political_Junkie]

18. WTF?

:wow: These people never cease to amaze me! :puke:

[Mr_Spock]

21. This article is more significant than the original one. Amazing

Makes me so mad I don't even one to try to comprehend what these cretins are thinking. Sick, paranoid Nazi's.

[havocmom]

5. My guess is they now have the fingerprints of everyone who signed

the damned thing. If one were to portest and they had prints, lord only knows what terrible thing one could be convicted of 'based on fingerprint evidence'. Gonna go put my tin foil on a little tighter...

[WinterStorm]

7. Your great great great Grandparents had to be republicans

All the way down to you if you want to get in which would leave me out.

They want your blood so if you get into an accident and have to go to the hospital they will be out of your type that day LOL.

They do have your fingerprints because your touching the paper or card you are signing.

I always wear a "tin foil" hat.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

8. Minds are Changeable

Maybe sign the oath and then start protesting in the middle of the speech. After all, listening to Cheney can easily change a person's mind to vote against Bush.

[snippy]

15. If you do that, you will be detained and probably arrested.

I do not have the links, but this has happened at quite a few Bush appearances.

[nosmokes]

6. i thought rio rancho sounded familiar. check this out -

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=1723923

[Gin]

9. god...that is scary.....I had not seen that story....I hope the ACLU

gets that principal fired...I can hardly believe what I just read...it's like fiction.

[Robbien]

11. According to Google

The poetry teacher suit resulted in his getting his back pay and the reprimand removed from his record on 8/13/03.

The other three teachers who put up the anti-war posters got an additional concession in their suit which they won in 11/03. "District policy now requires mediation between teachers and administration before suspensions or other disciplinary actions."

So that is something at least.

Could find no mention of the principal ever being fired or disciplined.

[Judi Lynn]

12. Thanks for the link. I hadn't heard this, either.

Found a link with the terrifying poem written at the bottom of the page.

It seems impossible this has happened here. My mom used to tell me the right-wing was a bunch of book-burners for years and years before she died, but it would appear this has been here all along, just below the surface, and I didn't see it as clearly as she.

Hope for the change we need.

http://groups.msn.com/ChironReview/general.msnw?action=get_message&mview=0&ID_Message=301&LastModified=4675418155940759269

[Blue Gardener]

17. Great Poem

That girl has talent.

[tlcandie]

16. Rio Rancho one of the high class uppity areas of NM...

I'm sure it is a MAIN base for * and his bastards. :puke:

:wow: A known operative group, eh? Sounds rather diabolical!! If they are THAT afraid of protestors, they might as well hang up their hats now!

[VolcanoJen]

20. Here's what gets me... let's say, just for the sake of discussion...

... that I'm an undecided voter. Bush, Kerry, Cheney and Edwards are criss-crossing the country making public appearances to rally voters to their side.

Let's say that, since I live in Battleground Ohio, I want to go see Bush or Cheney the next time they visit, because I haven't made up my mind yet, and feel that I may be persuaded by a personal appearance, a rally, a speech, a conversation or two with supporters of the President and Vice President. So, I travel to TinyTown, Ohio to see the Vice President, and am told that before I can get a rally ticket, I have to declare that I've already made up my mind. Now, wouldn't that turn me off entirely?

To me, tactics like "Loyalty Pledges" show that the Bush/Cheney team really isn't interested in speaking to all of America, just the Americans that are already with them, already on their side.

While this would be offensive if the challenger to the President was demanding a "Loyalty Pledge," it's downright un-American when the President and Vice President refuse to allow the people they were elected to represent to see them in person.

And that's what really pisses me off.

[Judi Lynn]

22. Yeah, you've got a point. As elected officials, they allegedly represent

ALL Americans, although nothing _Bush/Cheney ever did would lead you to belive it.

Apparently John Kerry is running his campaign completely differently:

John F. Kerry's campaign has charged that the Bush campaign routinely screens attendees of Bush's speeches, and the Democrats say they do not impose loyalty requirements on crowds for their nominee's speeches. This much is certainly true: If the Democrats are trying to keep crowds loyal, they aren't doing a very good job. When Kerry visited New Mexico a few weeks ago, a group of young men in the crowd waved flip-flops in the air during his speech and chanted, "Viva Bush!"
(snip/...)

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

Not only to _Bush supporters go to Kerry speeches, they act like @$$holes while they're there.

There's just no way you can teach citizenship to Republicans, is there?

[Aunt Anti-bush]

23. WTF???????????

This is America and we're approaching a VERY important election and I believe I was born with the right to go to see what EACH political candidate has to say about what he plans for MY future:

"A controversial, I-support-President-Bush pledge that some rallygoers were required to sign helped see to that."

That is complete and UTTER nonsense. I wouldn't go to see the damn shrub if HE paid me, though, but I am just so outraged that in this land of the free, I no longer have the right to go see the president at a speaking even without signing some rediculous pledge????


:mad:

[The_Casual_Observer]

24. "John Kerry, Bush's rival in the November general election"

for that under 6 audience who didn't know.