Sunday, June 19, 2005

When the government gets thuggish -- one story from this month

This is a post worth reading.

I assume it's true. Why would someone make it all up?

This guy, Jeremy Lassen, heard about a visit to an art gallery by Secret Service agents. The art gallery had some anti-Bush pieces showing, so government agents showed up and intimidated the art gallery owners.

That's un-American.

Then, this guy makes up some pictures of Bush and guns to show how thuggish the government is becoming, posts them onto his website and sends them around to other websites, and two months later, *he* gets a visit from Secret Service agents at his job!

After 45 minutes of an interview where they start out nicely but then say they want to interview his wife and his boss and they want to get a medical release form to see what medications he might be taking, and does he belong to any organizations, and how can he be an artist and suggest that he retract the pictures by taking them offline, they guy is so freaked out he takes down his websites.

Can you believe that?

Read the thing here.

Because if this is true (and why would someone just make the whole thing up?), then things are getting far too Big Brother around here.

This is a story that should get picked up by the corporate media. It is un-American.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Why don't you write a press release about it, distribute it and see if anyone picks it up?

Anonymous said...

The Internet poses all kinds of new problems regarding free speech. People with blogs or people on message boards should be forewarned. If you celebrate free speech - liberal or conservative - and people know about it, there may be retaliation of some type.

Bill Baar said...

I was ok with Dorthy Tillman marching into the Art Institute to take down the painting of Harold Washington.

Nathan said...

I heard about the event below. You may find it interesting to attend (short notice -- tonight!)

>TUESDAY, JUNE 21
>A DEBATE ON THE RENEWAL OF THE USA PATRIOT ACT
>
>Hosted by: The Chicago Lawyers' Chapter of the Federalist Society & The
>Criminal Law Practice Group
>
>Featuring: Patrick J. Fitzgerald, U.S. Attorney for the Northern
>District of Illinois
> Prof. Richard Epstein, University of Chicago Law
>School
> Prof. Geoffrey R. Stone, University of Chicago Law
>School
>
>Moderator: Craig Dellimore, Political Editor, WBBM Newsradio 780 AM
>
>Date: Tuesday, June 21
>Time: 5:30 - Cocktails
> 6:00 - Dinner
> 7:00 - Program
>Where: Chicago Athletic Association
> 12 South Michigan Ave.
> Chicago
>Cost: $35.00 per person ($20.00 for students) - Cash Bar
>RSVP: Christopher Rohrbacher at (312) 407-0940 or
>christopher_rohrbacher@yahoo.com

Nathan said...

what are your thoughts on Tribune circulation?