<\body> Stories in America: Veteran Arrested for Wearing "Veterans for Peace" Shirt

Wednesday, July 05, 2006

Veteran Arrested for Wearing "Veterans for Peace" Shirt

Is the kind of freedom Bush is spreading across the Middle East?
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.

You know the rest. Handcuffed, led away to the facility's security office past people with surprised looks on their faces, read my rights, searched, and written up.
Why are so many people frightened of the word "peace?"

3 Comments:

At 7/05/2006 2:13 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

A veteran was arrested at yesterday's fast in DC. Check this morning's Democracy Now.
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/07/05/1329243

 
At 7/07/2006 5:59 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Just wanted to see how long it takes for this post to be deleted...

Cheers

 
At 7/14/2006 12:43 AM, Blogger GI Kate said...

I'm contemplating going into my VA hospital wearing that shirt. That just seems absurd to me!

 

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