Repubs Try To Intimidate Protesters

It looks like the Bush administration is going to continue trashing the Constitution right up until their last minute in power. In the last few days, the local police at the Republican Convention site cities along with the FBI (see above photo) have raided at least four homes and a public meeting site. They have arrested several people, charging them with "conspiracy to incite a riot", searched the sites and taken photos of over forty people (who had not broken any law) after handcuffing and questioning them.

I don't know what the police think gives them the right to apprehend and photograph people who have broken no law. Have they forgotten the Constitution guarantees people the right to assemble? They also have the right to protest, but were raided before any protests had taken place.

In another action, police swarmed and seized a bus that was transporting members of a group called Earth Justice. They just left the bus riders stranded on the side of the road. It is unknown why the bus was seized -- probably just to cause problems for the protesters.

At least one city council member has accused the local and federal police of trying to quash or suppress legal protests. I would call it intimidation -- just a sampling of the police state the Republican leadership would like to install in America. Fortunately, the protesters say they refuse to be intimidated, and the protests will continue as planned.

I haven't seen such gross police misbehavior since the mid-seventies. Obviously, they don't believe freedom or constitutional rights should exist for anyone who disagrees with Bush/McCain policies.