[Bleyseng]

Here is one person experience with Bush and his goons in Oregon. Pretty simular to the Brownshirts of the '30s.

Silenced By The President
> By Trish Bowcock
> 10-20-4 A few weeks before my father died, he woke
> me in the wee hours
> of the morning. He needed to talk. He was worried
> about Attorney General
> John Ashcroft and the destruction of American civil
> liberties. I
> comforted my father, believing he was delusional
> from medications. I was
> wrong. I write this from my home in Jacksonville
> Oregon (population
> 2,226). President George W. Bush came here this
> week. The purpose of his
> visit was political. Southern Oregon has been deemed
> a "battle ground"
> area in the presidential race. John Kerry has made
> incredible inroads in
> this traditionally Republican stronghold. President
> Bush's campaign stop
> was an attempt to staunch the slide. Jacksonville is
> an old gold mining
> town. Our main street is only five blocks long,
> lined with restored
> storefronts. The sidewalks are narrow. We are a
> peaceful community. The
> prospect of an overnight presidential visit was
> exciting, even to me, a
> lifelong Democrat. My excitement turned to horror as
> I watched events
> unfold during President Bush's visit. In the mid
> 1800s, when Indians
> invaded Jacksonville, citizens clambered upon the
> roof of the old
> library. It was the one building that would not
> catch fire when flaming
> arrows were shot. This week it was a different
> scene. Police armed with
> high powered rifles perched upon our rooftops as the
> presidential
> motorcade approached. Helicopters flew low,
> overhead. A cadre of
> motorcycle police zoomed into town. Black SUVs
> followed, sandwiching
> several black limousines carrying the president, his
> wife and their
> entourage as they sped to the local inn where they
> would eat and sleep.
> The main street was lined with people gathered to
> witness the event. Many
> supported the president. Many did not. Some came
> because they were simply
> curious. There were men, women, young and old. The
> mood was somewhat
> festive. Supporters of John Kerry sported signs, as
> did supporters of
> George Bush. Individuals, exercising their rights of
> free speech began
> chanting. On one side of the street, shouts of "four
> more years" echoed
> in the night air. On the other side of the street,
> chants of "three more
> weeks" responded. The chants were loud and
> apparently could be heard by
> President Bush. An order was issued that the
> anti-Bush rhetoric be
> quieted. The local SWAT team leapt to action. It
> happened fast. Clad in
> full riot gear, at least 50 officers moved in.
> Shouting indecipherable
> commands from a bullhorn, they formed a chain and
> bore down upon the
> people, only working to clear the side of the street
> appearing to be
> occupied by Kerry supporters. People tried to get
> out of their way. It
> was very crowded. There was nowhere to move. People
> were being crushed.
> They started flowing into the streets. Pleas to the
> officers, asking,
> "where to go" fell upon deaf ears. Instead, riot
> police fired pellets of
> cayenne pepper spray into the crowd. An old man fell
> and couldn,t get up.
> When a young man stopped to help, he was shot in the
> back with hard
> pepper spray balls. Children were hit with pepper
> spray. Deemed
> "Protesters" people were shoved and herded down the
> street by the
> menacing line of armed riot police, until out of the
> President's
> ear-shot. There the "Protesters" were held at bay.
> Anyone vocalizing
> anti-Bush or pro-Kerry sentiments were prohibited
> from venturing forward.
> Loud anti-Bush chants were responded to by the
> commanding officer
> stating: "FORWARD," to which the entire line of
> armed police would move,
> lock-step, toward the "Protesters," forcing backward
> movement. Police
> officers circulated filming the crowd of
> "Protesters." Some were people
> like me, quiet middle-aged women. Some sported
> anti-Bush signs, peace
> signs, or Kerry signs. A small group of youth, clad
> in black with
> kerchiefs wrapping their heads chanted slogans. A
> young woman in her
> underwear, sporting a peace sign sang a lyrical
> Kumbaya. Mixed among the
> "Protesters" were supporters of the President. One
> 19 year- old man
> shouted obscenities at anyone expressing
> dissatisfaction with the
> president, encouraging the police to "tazar" the
> "Stinking Protesters."
> Neither the "Protestors," nor the police harassed
> this vocal young man.
> Across the street, individuals shouting support for
> the president were
> allowed to continue. Officers monitored this group
> but allowed them to
> shout words of support or hurl derisions toward
> Kerry supporters,
> undisturbed. Honking cars filled with Bush
> supporters were left alone. A
> honking car full of Kerry supporters was stopped by
> police on its way out
> of town. The standoff with "Protesters" continued
> until the President
> finished his dinner and was secured in his hotel
> cottage for the night.
> Only then were the riot police ordered to
> "mount-up," leaping upon the
> sideboard of a huge SUV, pulling out of town, and
> allowing "free speech"
> to resume. In small town American I witnessed true
> repression and
> intimidation by law enforcement. I saw small
> children suffering from the
> effects of being fired upon by pepper bullets. I
> felt legitimate fear of
> expressing my political opinions: a brand new
> feeling. Newspaper accounts
> state the chaos started when a violent "Protester"
> shoved a police
> officer. No one I talked to witnessed this account.
> It is reputed that
> President Bush and his staff will not allow any
> opposition activity to
> occur within his ear or eye sight. I can confirm,
> that in tiny
> Jacksonville, Oregon, this was true. Physically
> violent means were taken
> to protect the president from verbal insults.
> Freedom of speech was
> stolen. My father was not paranoid as he lay dying.
> He was expressing
> great insight into the dangers of our current
> presidential administration
> and its willingness to repress personal freedoms. If
> I could talk to my
> father today, I would say, "I am sorry Daddy for
> doubting you." And, no
> matter what, I will continue to exercise my
> individual right to freely
> express my opinions. Americans cannot take four more
> years.