Three Oregon teachers were kicked out of a Bush campaign rally late last week and threatened with arrest for wearing this T-shirt: "Protect Our Civil Liberties," reports The Associated Press. The teachers, all of whom were appropriately ticketed for the event and admitted to it, did not say or do anything other than wear the shirt.
Democratic National Chairman Terry McAuliffe called the action "beyond outrageous" and said there has never before been a presidential campaign that is so determined to "keep people away who have a different view. The president has stripped his events of anyone who might disagree with him, which is completely un-American," McAuliffe said in a conference call with reporters on Sunday. Meanwhile, Bush campaign spokeswoman Tracey Schmitt told AP that no one on the campaign staff "can remember the incident or understand why they would have been removed unless there was reason to believe that they were disruptive or were planning to be disruptive."
One of the teachers, Tonia Tong, 34, of Medford, Oregon, said the three had agreed to remain quiet during the event. Although they successfully passed three security checkpoints, a volunteer who was assisting with security stopped one of the teachers, Janet Voorhies, 48, when she tried to go to the bathroom. Voorhies was told at that time that she and her friends were no longer welcome. Police officers then escorted them out of the Central Point fairgrounds where the event was taking place. They were told they would be arrested if they did not comply. The Bush/Cheney campaign routinely screens the opinions of those who attend speeches made by the two candidates.
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