Interrupting Free Speech

Taking a break from all things Internet as much as possible over the holiday weekend, I jumped back into the fray this morning. I was able to watch some of John McCain's speech at the University of Denver. The subject was nuclear security. As are all of McCain's public speeches, the audience is not restricted to those friendly to McCain. He has a policy of welcoming anyone from the public and of publicizing the speeches beforehand. So, what happens? He is frequently interrupted by the deranged wanting to shout out their grievances and restricting McCain's exercise of free speech. This morning McCain was interrupted four times. Four times by the likes of Code Pink and Vets Against the Iraq War. A speech is not a town hall free for all.

You may notice that Obama events aren't interrupted by those opposing his candidacy shouting him down.

Did the veterans not think it particularly improper to interrupt McCain's exercise of free speech? What the hell were they fighting for? Or are the deranged so far gone that the irony escapes them? Or maybe it's the double standard that only one side is to be heard. The deranged are nothing but spoiled brats acting out in public.

Hey, where were these self righteous veterans when Obama's Portland rally was preceded by the Decemberists? That is why the crowd reached estimates of 75,000 in attendance - free concert on a Sunday afternoon with good weather in Portland. No mention of this at the time, only drooling press on the size of the crowd for their guy.

The Obama supporting band begins every one of their concerts with what? The Soviet anthem written by Sergei Mikhalkov, Stalin's poet. So, it's now Commies for Obama. Nice.

The band is cool with the kids. And, Obama is nothing if not cool with the kids.

Here's what McCain said after interruption number two this morning: "By the way, I will never surrender in Iraq, my friends. I will never surrender. Our troops will come home with victory and honor. That's my message to them (the protesters)." For a guy who is suppose to be on a hair trigger volatile 'bad' temper, he sure is pleasantly accommodating to those not worthy of such patience.

"Our highest priority must be to reduce the danger that nuclear weapons will ever be used. Such weapons, while still important to deter an attack with weapons of mass destruction against us and our allies, represent the most abhorrent and indiscriminate form of warfare known to man. We do, quite literally, possess the means to destroy all of mankind. We must seek to do all we can to ensure that nuclear weapons will never again be used."

"Americans have always risen to the challenges of their time. And we have always done so successfully not by hiding from history, but by making history; by encouraging a sometimes reluctant world to follow our lead, and defend civilization from old mistakes and old animosities, and the folly of relying on policies that no longer keep us safe. I want to keep the country I love and have served all my life secure in our freedom. I want us to rise to the challenges of our times, as generations before us rose to theirs. It is incumbent on America, more than any other nation on earth, to lead in building the foundations for a stable and enduring peace, a peace built on the strength of our commitment to it, on the transformative ideals on which we were founded, on our ability to see around the corner of history, and on our courage and wisdom to make new and better choices. No matter how dangerous the threats we face in our day, it still remains within our power to make in our time another, better world than we inherited. And that, my friends, is what I am running for President to do."

John McCain. 5/27/2008