Freedom of speech/expression is one thing. Vandalism is another. They should have let them spray paint as freedom of expression. Then arrested them and been forced to pay fines that would cover the cost of cleaning the mess up.
This cracks me up. The right wingers are going nuts over this: According to the sources, police officers were livid when they were told to fall back by U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) Chief Phillip Morse and Deputy Chief Daniel Nichols. "They were the commanders on the scene," one source said, who requested anonymity. "It was disgusting." But if a soldier in Iraq complains about following orders he is a traitor, a coward, he does have the right to even think about if orders are right, that is not his job, his job is only to follow the orders, etc. Would those who are against questioning command, support claims that of the police that the commanders were on the scene "it was disgusting." and allow them a free pass to say so because it was right to break with the chain of command, if not in action, but in spirit? Wonder if the repubklans would be screaming bloody murder if the police had refused to follow orders, break the chain of command in order to "defend the Constitution and the Capitol" from the "Liberals Invaders With Spray Paint Cans." Like I said, it cracks me up...
I think most of us can understand the officers' reaction quite easily. Their mission, their duty, is to protect the Capitol. Unlike liberals, they take their duty seriously. Then their commanders, no doubt on the orders of Pelosi or Reid, tell them to pull back and let a bunch of marxists paint graffiti on it. The commanders response is that "we can clean the stain off. " But how can you clean the stain from their honor? Appeasement is not an effective response to lawlessness.
So if soldiers in Iraq are seeing things that make them uneasy, things that most reasonable people wouldn't agree with as perhaps wrong, they should not say anything and just follow orders with their mouth shut, right? You republiklowns crack me up...
I don't understand your point. Who is saying soldiers have a duty to cover up wrongdoing? This has been the most transparent war in history, and the terrorists have skillfully used the media to their advantage. If commanders ordered troops to retreat in the face of the enemy, I'd hope some of them would complain.
The point is about shutting up and just following orders...not questioning in any manner authority of command, right? Shouldn't the police officers just shut up, not said anything that would leak to the press, and just follow orders? I mean, that is what the right wingers typically preach when someone breaks rank with a liberal position...
Ok. but I don't see that happening. Plenty of troops have voiced complaints, with no action taken against them. It is a little different when an active duty officer starts to go public with complaints. Then it clearly raises a chain of command issue. Their duty is to implement policy, not attempt to undermine it. If officers object to an order as unlawful, they have avenues to challenge it.
Next step: Pelosi and Reid will get the word out that it's okay to point a gun at Bush. And if the trigger happens to get pulled....oops, too bad. The person with the gun was just expressing their freedom of expression. Can you imagine the hordes of moonbats that would descend around the White House?
Don't forget to look under the bed tonight, there may be a terrorist in there just waiting for you to go to sleep...
Ignorance is bliss. Many are the moonbats who sleep the heavy sleep characteristic of those who reside in the World of Denial.