Yes, this country has officially gone insane

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Yes, this country has officially gone insane

Submitted by Rick on Wed, 07/05/2006 - 3:19pm.

I'm not posting this to the front page, so I don't feel the normal contstraints on language or appropriateness: WHAT THE FUCKING SHIT???:

Something peculiar happened to me while particpating in the Voices for Creative Nonviolence's 30-day, 320-mile "Walk for Justice" from Springfield to North Chicago, Illinois to reclaim funding for the common good and away from war.
This afternoon, drinking a cup of coffee while sitting in the Jesse Brown V.A. Medical Center on Chicago's south side, a Veterans Administration cop walked up to me and said, "OK, you've had your 15 minutes, it's time to go."
"Huh?", I asked intelligently, not quite sure what he was talking about.
"You can't be in here protesting," officer Adkins said, pointing to my Veterans For Peace shirt.
"Well, I'm not protesting, I'm having a cup of coffee," I returned, thinking that logic would convince Adkins to go back to his earlier duties of guarding against serious terrorists.
Flipping his badge open, he said, "No, not with that shirt. You're protesting and you have to go."
Beginning to get his drift, I said firmly, "Not before I finish my coffee."
He insisted that I leave, but still not quite believing my ears, I tried one more approach to reason. "Hey, listen. I'm a veteran. This is a V.A. facility. I'm sitting here not talking to anybody, having a cup of coffee. I'm not protesting and you can't kick me out."
"You'll either go or we'll arrest you," Adkins threatened.
"Well, you'll just have to arrest me," I said, wondering what strange land I was now living in.

Read the rest here. Canada is looking pretty fucking good right now.

[hat tip One Pissed Off Veteran]

Rick's blog
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Wow

Submitted by Norm on Wed, 07/05/2006 - 3:38pm.

yeah, that about sums it up

Whoa

Submitted by Sarah on Wed, 07/05/2006 - 3:45pm.

I'm speechless.

Yes, in this Brave New World

Submitted by stevenl on Wed, 07/05/2006 - 5:36pm.

Yes, in this Brave New World created by Rich Republican guys who never served in war but have no qualms about sending normal young and naive TV-fed Americans to their deaths, you are indeed speechless. Your right to be a critic is diminishing by the day. Read Orwell for more details. I would also suggest Points of Rebellion(1970) by the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas, a fellow Washingtonian. If not available in used bookstores, try the State Library, St. Martins, or TESC. Douglas' book deserves to be distributed again at this point in time.

Wow, indeed

Submitted by Rob Richards on Wed, 07/05/2006 - 4:42pm.

And Meta says this is a free country.

Democracy Now!

Submitted by Rob Richards on Thu, 07/06/2006 - 5:59pm.

Amy Goodman covered this and interviewed him on today's program. The VA declined to take part.

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