Yesterday was just another day’s work for the Capitol police, playing willing accomplice to the GOP dominated Senate’s efforts to strip Healthcare from millions of Americans.
The Boston Herald reports (with more than a touch of sarcasm, I think) that as many as 95 disabled protesters, many in wheelchairs, were arrested and charged with “incommoding” (inconveniencing) the proceedings amid chants of “Kill the Bill, Don’t kill us.” and “Shame,shame,shame!”
I don’t know about you, but I always find it incommodating when disabled Americans exercise their Constitutional right to protest overpaid shills for the billionaire class taking away their care to pay for tax breaks for the mega rich.
Although the cops were clearly in the right, manhandling these malingers, they apparently felt that the public could get the wrong idea if confronted with photos and video of them hauling and wheeling away the handicapped to the hoosegow.
But these brave defenders of our future Republican dystopia had a solution - ban photos and delete footage!
“As reporters attempted to document protesters who interrupted the Senate’s vote to open debate repealing Obamacare on Tuesday, and their subsequent arrest for doing so, Capitol Police barred them from recording and taking pictures, telling them it’s “a crime scene,” according to Gabby Morrongiello, the Washington Bureau Chief of the New York Post.”
The ACLU is not amused.
“The American Civil Liberties Union responded to reports that Capitol Police had forced some reporters to delete photos or videos, saying in a tweet that they didn’t have the power to do so “without a warrant. Period.”
I’ll certainly sleep better tonight knowing the stalwart defenders of all that is detestable in the Capitol Police are ever vigilant to make sure I’m not inconvenienced by a vicious gang of protesters in wheelchairs trying to stay alive.
But perhaps they could peel off a few cops to roust the bigger criminals holding votes on the Senate floor.