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Subject: Re: And So It Begins...
Date: 02 Apr 2003 22:54:27 GMT
From: jmsatb5@aol.com (Jms at B5)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderated

>I'm being a smart butt here but I hope your now not implying our mall
>security guards have a hidden agenda and some kinda connection with the
>President??

No, of course not...just looking at the overall chilling effect and the
winking/nodding at acts of extremism in defense of public policy.

The t-shirt arrests, the penning of protestors in violation of previous
precedent and established law, the suspension in Missoula, Montana of a
university instructor for having criticized Bush policy (see link below), 

http://ku.wru.umt.edu/pub/incoming/iraq/kpax.com/newspage.html

...a case outside Charleston where a man (a Gulf war vereran, no less) was
badly beaten just for mentioning he opposed the war (thus far no charges have
been filed by the police)...info at:

http://www.wvgazette.com/section/News/Other%20News/2003033140

...a case the other day in Baton Rouge LA where talk DJ Richard Condon (KOOJ)
incited people to counter-protest a peaceful demonstration, using terms like
"traitors" and saying that "I think these son-of-a-buggers deserve a bullet in
the head" and that "'it's about time we nuked Canada's ass.'"

...there are more and more cases of this every day...violence and threats of
violence against people for speaking out, by media figures, by police, by
politicians, and after a while, it has a definite chilling effect on public
discourse.  I used to think it was pretty bad during the Nixon days, but what's
going on now makes that look like amateur night by comparison.

 jms

(jmsatb5@aol.com)
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