Democratic?
Turning your back on the President when he makes a speech now constitutes as disturbing the peace. America, vanguard of democracy, threatens arrest of students for dissenting with the President – for facing the wrong way! Does anyone else find this distinctly troubling?
yeah, bush is a real totalitarian, ain’t he?
the story you linked was nothing more than a distorted whine of a
spoiled college activist (regardless of whether you disagree with the
policies of the president, he deserves a modicum of respect for agreeing
to speak at any commencement ceremony). your assessment of it was quite
inaccurate as well.the author writes that the police officer told him “if we chose to
leave, the charges would be dropped immediately.” sounds like what
really happened is a couple people got ejected for being dicks at a
commencement ceremony and were threatened with arrest if they decided to
defy the ejection. i see no evidence that anyone was arrested for simple
symbolic dissent.commencements in america are often stringent like this. i know of
several guys who were forbidden from participating in graduation
exercises for far, far less than this.america has arrested no one for simple dissent, as you laughably claim.
come on!
-Nathan
Now that is an interesting point, isn’t it? True, these students were not arrested. They were ejected, and I assume if they defied that, then charges would be pressed. Whether the police could legally press charges for an act like that or not is really a separate issue. The fact is that they were censored, and subsequently threatened. I am not sure of the exact circumstances of this report, nor am I sure of American law. I suppose it is also the right of any organisation to eject visitors to private property (the stadium), but the motivations were not exactly democratic in this instance. I’d also agree with you that this is nothing new in society, but it is also interesting to note how it does not bother some people at all.
“regardless of whether you disagree with the policies of the president, he deserves a modicum of respect for agreeing to speak at any commencement ceremony” – I would agree that his status as President entitles him to respect. As part of a Democratic nation, even though one does not vote for the President, by being part of a Democracy you agree to defer to the majority. In the same token, no one is inherently wrong for disrespecting the President in a situation like this. It is rude, yes, but there is nothing unlawful about being rude (save for instances of contempt in court etc.)
10:54pm (GMT +10.00) 
