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Rep. Bill Young (R-FL) on the House floor, saying his wife Beverly was called "a demonstrator and a protester" and removed from the gallery by Capital hill police for wearing this shirt to the State of the Union address.
Getting Busted at the State of the Union By Cindy Sheehan.
Reuters: Capitol police apologize to activist Sheehan:
The U.S. Capitol Police dropped charges against activist Cindy Sheehan on Wednesday and apologized for arresting her in the House of Representatives chamber shortly before President Bush's State of the Union address.
Sheehan, who became a central figure in the U.S. anti-war movement after her son Casey was killed in the Iraq war, was taken from the Capitol in handcuffs and charged with unlawful conduct after refusing to cover an anti-war slogan on her T-shirt.
The Capitol Police said in a statement that it had reviewed the incident and determined the arrest was unwarranted.
"While officers acted in a manner consistent with the rules of decorum enforced by the department in the House Gallery for years, neither Mrs. Sheehan's manner of dress or initial conduct warranted law enforcement intervention," the statement said.
Capitol Police Chief Terrance Gainer also apologized to the wife of a House Republican who was told to leave the chamber during Bush's speech for wearing a shirt bearing words of support for U.S. troops.
Rep. Bill Young of Florida had condemned the treatment of his wife, Beverly. Young, who chairs the House Appropriations defense subcommittee, said on the House floor his wife was called "a demonstrator and a protester" for doing what Bush had asked of Americans: supporting U.S. soldiers serving in Iraq.
The Capitol Police statement said neither guest should have been confronted about her expressive T-shirt....
Sheehan and Young's T-shirts read, "2245 Dead. How many more?" and "Support the Troops," respectively.
In the WaPo version, Gainer "said he will clarify rules about disruption to remind officers that 'simply having a T-shirt on' does not constitute lawbreaking."
Tim Kaine won by an eyebrow? Jeneane Sessum asks, "WHY EXACTLY didn't they let Barack Obama give the Dem response?"
Sounded good: Administration backs off Bush's vow to reduce Mideast oil imports. KRT,
WASHINGTON - One day after President Bush vowed to reduce America's dependence on Middle East oil by cutting imports from there 75 percent by 2025, his energy secretary and national economic adviser said Wednesday that the president didn't mean it literally.
...Asked why the president used the words "the Middle East" when he didn't really mean them, one administration official said Bush wanted to dramatize the issue in a way that "every American sitting out there listening to the speech understands." The official spoke only on condition of anonymity because he feared that his remarks might get him in trouble.
War on Terror: The board game. Next up, war on paranoia. For how many years can you live in fear before you realize we're all going to die anyway?
The government can't make you safe. They can increase your fear, your surveillance, search you up and down and inside out, but you're still gonna die someday.
Is your greatest need, really, to feel safer? Stay in bed.
When you're on your deathbed, you'll be kicking yourself that, instead of living freely and well, you spent your life fearing that it would be over.
A way in: "Debbie's idea was to fill a simple need: to help a reader decide which book to read first of an unfamiliar author." She hasn't read the canon, of course, so she needs help. Some authors listed await your suggestions.
Printable paper rulers could come in handy sometimes. The A How Big Are Things? Cube is interesting, too.
Graham Nash, the photographer: His music as images: 'Eye to Eye' is Graham Nash's first major museum photo exhibit.
L.A. Times profiles the San Diego museum exhibit of CSNY's "N." The show of 80 images -- all black and white -- runs through April 30.
Unfit Artist Search: The Entries. Earlier this month, on the Dilbert blog:
The syndicated comic strip Unfit is looking for someone to take over the artwork. If you’ve seen the strip, you know it’s a great concept with lots of potential, but the artwork is holding it back. See for yourself at:http://dilbert.com/comics/unfit/
If you’re interested in applying for the position, just redraw any of the recent Unfit comics already on the web, using your own poses and perspective, and send it along with your resume...
Super Sunday: We expect an oddly relaxing Super Bowl party here this year. No heart-in-mouth moments, since we aren't attached to the outcome, just to a good game. Maybe we needed a break from willing the Patriots over the line.
Steelers have edge in the stars: Favorable astrological signs point to Cowher getting best of Holmgren. Sports astrologer Andrea Mallis, at MSNBC,
Super Bowl XL incarnates on an ethereal Feb. 5 in Detroit, with a yearly Sun/ Neptune aspect in unconventional Aquarius. It probably won’t be the usual Super Bowl blowout when the underdog Seattle Seahawks take on the favored Pittsburgh Steelers....
