Is it official, then? Nine-one-one justifies the abolition of the First Amendment?

September 5, 2004 — Convention footnote: In a week full of openly hostile and sometimes just downright bizarre pronouncements from the talking heads, one particularly nonsensical comment stands out. Unsigned editorial, The New York Post (online), September 5, 2004 (last visited September 9, 2004).

Frankly, when I first read this, I was puzzled. Why would the New York Post criticize the Administration? From what I know, they’re virually an arm of the Bush Administration.

It didn’t take long to figure it out, though. It wasn’t Zell, Cheney, or any other Bush-owned talking head they were targeting. Apparently, two protesters were hauled off the floor by security when they tried to interrupt Bush’s acceptance speech.

“What they could be charged with, other than political expression, I do not know,” intoned the perplexed Jennings.

Did he sleep through 9/11?

Actually, that would explain a lot. Unsigned editorial, The New York Post (online), September 5, 2004 (last visited September 9, 2004).

I should note that I don’t disagree with what happened here. To everything (turn, turn, turn) there is a season. Any party’s convention, it seems to me, has the right to get their time in the spotlight uninterrupted. I wouldn’t condone such activity by Republicans wanting to interrupt anyone else, so I won’t condone it here. (Removing protesters completely — even those who are not disruptive within the convention hall itself — seems to me to go too far. And, of course, George “There Ought To Be Limits To Freedom” Bush has no problem silencing dissent whereever it occurs. But disrupting the acceptance speech itself isn’t right regardless of who does it to whom.)

It is interesting, though, that in responding to Jennings’ comment, the Post doesn’t raise that point. Instead, they say, “Did he sleep through 9/11?”

Apparently, the justification for silencing opposition wasn’t based on the argument I gave above, which I personally think is the only one that flies, but rather “9/11” is the reason you get to haul off people who openly disagree with the President in a public arena.