Freedom of speech? Not at McCain events

This story should surprise no one, but it's still no less outrageous. A woman was removed from a John McCain even for having a sign that read, "McCain = Bush." The last time I checked, this was a free country, where freedom of speech is respected and encouraged.

I guess that applies as long as you aren't dissenting against a candidate running for president. If the woman was creating a disruption, of was interrupting McCain from exercising his right to free speech, that would be one thing, but she was not.

Quite frankly, this thuggish behavior on the part of the McCain campaign and law enforcement should be called just what it is - a suppression of free speech rights. It's only a matter of time before McCain makes his audiences sign a loyalty pledge, like President Bush did in 2004. Wow, heaven forbid people confront McCain about his walking lockstep with a failing, lame duck, enormously unpopular president. This is America - we don't allow that!

As C&L reports today,

In 2005, George W. Bush hosted a town-hall meeting in Denver, at which three law-abiding, ticket-holding Americans were removed from a public event because officials didn’t like the bumper sticker on their car.

Freedom of expression? Call it McCain's Freedom of Repression.