Unlawful conduct

Cindy Sheehan, who was invited to attend the SOTU by Rep. Lynn Woolsey of California, was escorted from the chamber less than a minute after she sat down. She was taken away in handcuffs and charged with unlawful conduct, a misdemeanor with a possible jail sentence of up to a year. What was her crime?

Underneath her jacket, she wore this:

2,245 Dead - How many more?

Sitting quietly wearing a tee shirt with that message does not a demonstration make. It may make some folks uncomfortable. It may be some folks’ idea of inappropriate (not in my opinion, incidentally), but a crime? It depends on one’s perspective, obviously. But it is arguably no different than waving purple fingers around or wearing flag lapel pins. They all are symbols and mean something to the people wearing them. Some symbols are more protected than others.

Update: Looks as if Beverly Young, wife of Rep Bill Young (R-Fla) was tossed out of the chamber, too, for wearing a tee shirt that said “Support the Troops Defending Our Freedom”. Capitol police claim she was protesting. Apparently she wasn’t arrested. Her husband’s response, when he found out: “I just called for the chief of police and asked him to get his little tail over here,” Young said. “This is not acceptable.”

Maybe we simply have a case of overzealous Capitol Police who need a refresher course in Civics and reading comprehension.