The latest dispatch from the "war on T-shirts"

The moral of this story - "The War on T-shirts" - is, if you ave no idea how to fight the war on terror, GO AFTER THE T-SHIRTS. -Dan


Here's the latest dispatch in the "war on T-shirts" [from Bush Watch]:

"On [Thursday's edition of] ABC's Good Morning America, [Cindy]Sheehan described what happened: "This man was yelling at me, 'Protestor, you have to get out of here,'" she said. "They grabbed me out of my seat and put my arms behind me and rushed me out and handcuffed me [see photo above]. I thought that was a little excessive for wearing a T-shirt." Rep. Young (R-Fla) [whose wife was removed from the gallery during the speech for wearing a message t-shirt] emphasized that he did not know the circumstances that led to Sheehan's arrest. But he added: "If she was just sitting there wearing a shirt then she should not have been kicked out." He also said he called both White House adviser Karl Rove and Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert, along with Capitol police Chief Terrence Gainer, to complain [about his wife's treatment]. Capitol police have requested that the U.S. attorney's office drop the charges against Sheehan. "As the department reviewed the incident, it was determined that 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," said [Capitol Police Chief Terrance] Gainer in a statement today. <ABC)

"Neither guest should have been confronted about the expressive T-shirts," Gainer's statement said. Gainer added that he was asking the U.S. attorney's office to drop the charge against Sheehan. The statement also said he apologized to the Youngs and "share the department's plans for avoiding this in the future. A similar message has been left with Mrs. Sheehan," Gainer said.


For his part, Bill Young said he was not necessarily satisfied. "My wife was humiliated," he told reporters. He suggested that "sensitivity training" may be in order for Capitol Police. A foreign-born American citizen who was the guest of Rep. Alcee Hastings, D-Fla., also was taken by police from the gallery just above the House floor, Hastings said Wednesday. The congressman met with Gainer and House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., about the incident. [Their has been no report that the Dem Rep who gave Sheehan the gallery guest pass had contacted anyone. --Politex] AP.[Unfortunately, you will have to sign-in to access this Washington Post article - I'm not sure it's worth it - Dan]