Freedom of Speech?

posted by The Vidiot @ 11:36 AM Permalink

Olean resident escorted away

Olean resident Brenda Snyder went to Canandaigua on Tuesday to talk to President Bush about health care. What she got was a lesson in message control.

Mrs. Snyder said no one at the meeting was given an opportunity to speak to the president and many, including herself, were prevented by security at the event from talking to the press after the president’s town meeting.
[...]
“We were answering questions and this big guy in a suit came along and said, ‘move along,’” she said. “I said, ‘Why can’t we answer questions?’ And he said, ‘I have been given my orders.’” [Ed: Does 'just following orders' sound familiar?]

Mrs. Snyder said she felt threatened by the security officer.

“He kept saying ‘move along’ and kept blocking my way and I kept saying, ‘I’m a U.S. citizen I have a right to answer some questions,’” she said. “It felt like if you were out of order at all, someone was going to take you away. It was very threatening.”
[...]
“I think America is going in a very scary direction. I felt like I was in a police state and that as a citizen I don’t have many rights,” she said.
[...]
White House Spokesman Ken Lisaius [...] said it isn’t the White House’s policy to prevent people from talking to the press.
[...]
Mr. Lisaius said he talked to members of the White House Press Office who were at the event and they assured him that standard procedures were followed and that no one was told to prevent people from talking to the press.

Well at least I believe them when they say it is SOP.