Home > Activist Sheehan arrested in House gallery

Activist Sheehan arrested in House gallery

by Open-Publishing - Wednesday 1 February 2006
11 comments

Edito Movement Wars and conflicts Prison Governments USA

GOP congressman says his wife was also ordered to leave

WASHINGTON Peace activist Cindy Sheehan was arrested Tuesday in the House gallery after refusing to cover up a T-shirt bearing an anti-war slogan before President Bush’s State of the Union address.

According to a blog post on Michael Moore’s Web site attributed to Sheehan, the T-shirt said, "2,245 Dead. How many more?" — a reference to the number of U.S. troops killed in Iraq.

"She was asked to cover it up. She did not," said Sgt. Kimberly Schneider, U.S. Capitol Police spokeswoman.

House rules bar demonstrations in the galleries.

On Wednesday, U.S. Rep. Bill Young, R-Florida, spoke on the House floor saying his wife, Beverly, had been "ordered to leave" the gallery during the speech for wearing a shirt that said, "Support Our Troops."

Young, an 18-term congressman, held up his wife’s shirt during his remarks, speaking with anger and emotion about her treatment.

"She has a real passion for our troops, and she shows it in many, many ways," Young said.

"And most members in this House know that, but because she had on a shirt, that someone didn’t like, that said, ’Support Our Troops,’ she was kicked out of this gallery while the president was speaking and encouraging Americans to support our troops. Shame. Shame."
Sheehan held 4 hours

Sheehan was arrested around 8:30 p.m. ET Tuesday on charges of unlawful conduct, a misdemeanor that carries a maximum penalty of a year in jail, Capitol Police said.

She was handcuffed and held in the Capitol building until she was driven to the Capitol Police headquarters for booking. According to her blog, she was released about four hours after her arrest.

Sheehan, who became a vocal war opponent after her son was killed in Iraq, was an invited guest of Rep. Lynn Woolsey, D-California. Woolsey has called for a withdrawal of troops in Iraq and supports legislation for the creation of a Department of Peace.

Sheehan gained national attention in August when she and hundreds of other protesters camped outside Bush’s ranch in Crawford, Texas, and demanded an audience with the president.

She also recently penned a book, "Not One More Mother’s Child."

In April 2004, Sheehan and other relatives of troops killed in Iraq met with Bush during a visit to Fort Lewis, Washington, shortly after the death of her son, Army Spc. Casey Sheehan, 24.

Sheehan later said that the president wouldn’t look at pictures of her son and "didn’t even know Casey’s name."

The Vacaville, California, resident has said she’d like to meet with Bush again to discuss her opposition to the war.

The president has declined another meeting and has taken issue with Sheehan’s calls for a withdrawal of troops from Iraq.

"She expressed her opinion; I disagree with it," Bush said in August. "I think immediate withdrawal from Iraq would be a mistake."

CNN.com’s Eliott C. McLaughlin contributed to this report.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/01...

Forum posts

  • Democracy in America died in 2000. Also it never existed before. Now it has been buried and we know for certain that the Sowjet Union was never a threat for human mankind.

  • This is just one more shameful indigtment of the United States as it stands today.

    There is more to Cindy’s story, in her own words.

    What really happened.

  • I tend to believe Cindy. I’d guess that sargent Kimberly Schneider was lying. Cindy said she would have covered it up if asked.

  • Democracy IS on the rise!!
    Hope we have enough prisons for ALL these "protesters".
    A Neocon’s dream:The criminals run the Country and the people are all locked up!

    • She should mind her own business...politics is not for her.
      Being friendly with Chavez shows no respect for any american.

    • Here is a perfect example of a subject’s mentality, not a citizen’s. Go and fetch my robe, lackey!

    • Chavez is only trying to keep his countriy’s oil a resource of HIS country!! here’s how the U.S./Rothschild/Zionists work things.....they approach a small country...loan $$$for "beneficial aid" as friends ...then convince them to "privatize" their resources...create economic problems(CIA ops)..wate for them to default on their loans(with interest rates they can NEVER get out from under)...then Halliburton snatches the resources and the people of the country are left with NOTHING and a "puppet" is put into place to rule by tyranny...SOUND FAMILIAR???

  • Heres another example of a "dove" getting her nose in another place it does not belong, she is a disgrace to mothering, she has abandoned 2 boys that she bore, check it out if you dont believe.

    She is only tolerated because the people feel sorry for her. I say, war with the muslims is GREAT ! they need to be removed from this planet along with their brothers the jews...between those two groups of kooks, this world will never be at peace. Muslim, zionism...its all the same they are both religions of WAR. .......Weirdo’s.

    • So what you guys gonna do after getting rid of muslims and jews? Start a war with the Chinese? What about Mexicans, Blacks and other non-whites.

      "I say, war with the muslims is GREAT ! they need to be removed from this planet along with their brothers the jews...between those two groups of kooks, this world will never be at peace. Muslim, zionism...its all the same they are both religions of WAR" this was posted by another user.

      So all the pro-white bastards out there think the world will be at peace if they get rid of muslims, i don’t think so. there will be war after war until all whites are exterminated by low birth rate, combat deaths, homosexuality. did u forget vietnam war.? what about Okinawa, 20,000 anglo- american deaths just invade that island.

  • Both Harold L Ickes, FDR’s minister of the interior, and Kennedy sr were of the opinion that a few dozen wealthy families ruled the USA.
    As is demonstrated by actors hired to be president, Reagan and Schwarzenegger, nothing changed since then.
    The USA never made profits as it did in the 1914- 1918 period, WW II ended the economic crisis that began when the Wall Street swindle bubble burst in 1929.
    The USA is unable to change the swords into plows, there is no profit in plows.

  • Arrested for a T-shirt slogan. Isn’t freedom wonderful!!