Federal government uses 80,000 of your tax dollars to protect Bush from a T-shirt

So this story about a couple in West Virginia being arrested for wearing anti-Bush T-shirts at a political rally where President Bush gave a speech is pretty funny in and of itself. The fact that they then sued the federal government, and eventually settled for $80,000 is kinda funny too.

No surprise though that the media has failed to report on the real story here, which is that the federal government took $80,000 from U.S. taxpayers to protect George Bush from having to face any kind of dissent, even when it was something as simple as a fucking T-shirt.

It also won't surprise anyone to find out that the Bush administration is adamantly denying any "wrong doing." But of course! Because I'd just hand out $80,000 too, especially if I knew I hadn't done anything wrong, and especially when it wasn't my own fucking money I was giving away.

"This settlement is a real victory not only for our clients but for the First Amendment," said Andrew Schneider, executive director of the ACLU of West Virginia. "As a result of the Ranks' courageous stand, public officials will think twice before they eject peaceful protesters from public events for exercising their right to dissent."

White House spokesman Blair Jones said the settlement was not an admission of wrongdoing.

"The parties understand that this settlement is a compromise of disputed claims to avoid the expenses and risks of litigation and is not an admission of fault, liability, or wrongful conduct," Jones said.

Ha ha, they even sent out a manual stating that George Bush isn't allowed to face dissent, ever! It even comes complete with an action plan to deal with the "terrorists" who dare oppose the grand dragon supreme ruler!

The ACLU said in a statement that a presidential advance manual makes it clear that the government tries to exclude dissenters from the president's appearances. "As a last resort," the manual says, "security should remove the demonstrators from the event."

Bush and his self-loathing minions are so scared of facing reality that they're even willing to call on local athletic teams, college/young Republican organizations, and even fraternities/sororities to beat down anyone who opposes!

The first step to keeping demonstrators out of events, the manual tells the president's event staff, is to encourage the Secret Service to "ask the local police department to designate a protest area...preferably not in view of the event site or the motorcade route."

Inside the event space, the manual advises, White House advance personnel should preposition "rally squads" that can swarm any protesters at the event and "use their signs and banners as shields between the demonstrators and the main press platform." The rally squads can be formed using "college/young republican organizations, local athletic teams, and fraternities/sororities," the manual notes.

All over a fucking T-shirt.

[cross posted at Daily Kos, and Raising Kaine]