Ranting and Raving...again

So...Monday was the observance of Memorial Day. Went up to a ceremony at the VA Medical Center. There I was, beaming with pride at the sight of my godson, Josh, in his uniform. Rep. Carol Shea-Porter (who, btw, is the first woman from NH elected to the US House) was unable to attend the ceremony, so she sent her district director, Dudley Dudley with a statement. (I swear to God, that's the woman's name...it's not a typo.) Anyway, after Dudley read Shea-Porter's statement, from the back of the crowd, someone yelled "Tell Shea-Porter to support the troops!" That's all he did. One simple little statement. The next thing you know, he's being escorted off the property. My eyes darted to the flagpole. Had I somehow been transported to Nazi Germany or China or some other restrictive place?? No...the Stars and Stripes were still flying. And yet, the guy was still being hauled off by the cops. I was furious!

The story was in the local paper the next day. The cop that hauled the guy away was quoted as
saying that people who demonstrate must get permission in advance. Demonstration?? It was a comment. Plain and simple. And get this...the cop was also quoted as saying "I fully support the First Amendment but we have policies in place." HUH?!

First up, it disturbs me that a law enforcement official would start a sentence with "I fully support the First Amendment but..." But what?! You either support it or you don't. There are no "but"s involved. Sure, rights come with responsibilities. But for crying out loud, he didn't yell "FIRE" in a crowded theater or anything. He was respectful enough to wait until Dudley had finished the statement. He didn't swear or anything. He stated the obvious - that our troops need support. All he did was say it loudly.

Then there's the whole "...we have policies in place" issue. Policies?? What the hell does that mean?? How can a policy overrule the Constitution?! Does a policy suddenly make it OK to ignore the Bill of Rights or do something else despicable? I mean, seriously, if Hitler had said "Well, sure, the Jews are people but we have policies in place" ...would that have made the Holocaust alright??!! POLICIES??!! WTF?!?!

My uncle spent nearly two years in a flea-ridden, louse-infested German POW camp to make sure that guy had the right to voice his opinion. Josh is in the National Guard for the same reason. Their service and the service of every other veteran says that my Constitution trumps your freakin' policy, pal!! Escorting that guy off the property disrespects every sacrifice ever made by the brave men and women of our Armed Forces. And don't insult my intelligence...that had nothing to do with "policy." It was all about a power trip. Maybe the cop has seen too many episodes of "TJ Hooker" or something . I dunno. But I know this - I don't like it. If I wanted to live in Nazi Germany, I'd build myself a time machine.

Some feel his comment was accurate but the time and place were inappropriate. Me? Well, I think it was the perfect time and place. If you can't voice your opinion at a ceremony honoring those that died to preserve that right, where CAN you voice it??