Patriotism taken to a frightening obsessive degree that makes one wonder where freedoms are going in this country: a baseball fan in New York was recently thrown out of the stadium and treated as a criminal because he got up to relieve himself during the singing of "God Bless America." Apparently, you must hold a full bladder in respect to a song about freedom, and does this freedom not include the right to use the bathroom?
Man kicked out of Yankee Stadium for leaving during God Bless America
Hazel Sanchez NEW YORK (CBS) ― A Queens man is considering legal action against the New York Yankees after he was ejected from Tuesday night's contest against the Boston Red Sox for trying to use the restroom during the playing of "God Bless America." During the patriotic 7th inning stretch at Yankee Stadium, nature called on Bradford Campeau-Laurion. When he tried to leave his seat during the traditional singing of God Bless America, however, he says he was stopped by a NYPD officer who said he'd have to wait until the song was done. "I then said to him, 'I don't care about God Bless America. I just need to use the bathroom.' As soon as I said that, he immediately pinned my arm behind my back," Campeau-Laurion told CBS 2. The 29-year-old says two officers pinned both of his arms behind his back and ejected him from the stadium. "He shoved me out the front gate and told me get out of their country if I didn't like it," he said. Campeau-Laurion says he didn't know theYankees had a rule restricting movement in the stands during the playing of God Bless America. The rule is enforced by ushers, stadium security and the NYPD. The New York Civil Liberties Union says, however, that New York's finest crossed the line. "Because they are enforcing a rule of that imposes political correctness through refusing to let somebody go to bathroom while a patriotic song is playing, that violates Constitutional rights," said Donna Lieberman, a spokesperson for the NYCLU. The Yankees say it's now a police matter. The NYPD told CBS 2 a different version of the story, however, saying in a statement: "The officers observed a male standing on his seat, cursing, using inappropriate language and acting in a disorderly manner while reeking of alcohol, and decided to eject him rather than subject others to his offensive behavior. Campeau-Laurion was at the game with a Yankees season ticket holder who couldn't believe the cops allegations. "That's ridiculous," said the fan, who asked not to be identified. "That's completely false." Campeau-Laurion says he did have two beers at the game. He doesn't know if he'll seek legal action, but he's discussing his options with the NYCLU. Video here:http://wcbstv.com/topstories/yankees.bathroom.ejection.2.804859.html
Friday, August 29, 2008
Crippling Politics
Why doesn't anyone point out that John McCain returned from Vietnam in his crippled state to a wife who was also crippled from a car accident. Being a prisoner of war hero and all, John-boy decided he needed and deserved a younger and more appealing woman (after all, the car accident did make her shorter and distorted and he had his own crippled image to consider).
From Wikipedia:
While visiting her family in Philadelphia on Christmas Eve 1969,[13] Carol McCain was driving alone in snowy, icy conditions. Approaching an intersection on an isolated country road, she skidded and collided with a telephone pole, was thrown from the car into the snow, and went into shock. Some time later she was found and taken to Bryn Mawr Hospital;[9] she had two smashed legs, a broken pelvis, broken arm, and ruptured spleen. She spent six months in the hospital, and over the course of the next two years had 23 operations[9] as well as extensive physical therapy.[15] She did not tell her husband about the accident in her letters to him, believing he already had enough to worry about,[9] and the U.S. State Department told a surgeon who operated upon her not to mention anything to the press, lest it worsen the treatment for John McCain.[16] Businessman and POW advocate Ross Perot paid for her medical care[17]and she remained grateful to him: "The military families are in Ross's heart and in his soul ... There are millions of us who are extremely grateful to Ross Perot."[18] Years after John McCain found out about Perot's help, he said "we loved him for it."[19] She was interviewed on the CBS Evening News in 1970, and said that Christmas had no meaning for her without her husband present, but that she carried on with it for the sake of their children.[13]The McCains were reunited upon his release from captivity on March 14, 1973.[20] She was now four inches (ten centimeters) shorter, on crutches, and substantially heavier than when he had last seen her;[17] he was also visibly hampered by his injuries and the mistreatment he had endured from the North Vietnamese.
McCain divorced her in 1980 and married Cindy, 18 years his junior and the heir to an Arizona brewing fortune, just one month later....'My accident is well recorded. I had 23 operations, I am five inches shorter than I used to be and I was in hospital for six months. It was just awful, but it wasn’t the reason for my divorce.‘My marriage ended because John McCain didn’t want to be 40, he wanted to be 25. You know that happens...it just does.’
From Wikipedia:
While visiting her family in Philadelphia on Christmas Eve 1969,[13] Carol McCain was driving alone in snowy, icy conditions. Approaching an intersection on an isolated country road, she skidded and collided with a telephone pole, was thrown from the car into the snow, and went into shock. Some time later she was found and taken to Bryn Mawr Hospital;[9] she had two smashed legs, a broken pelvis, broken arm, and ruptured spleen. She spent six months in the hospital, and over the course of the next two years had 23 operations[9] as well as extensive physical therapy.[15] She did not tell her husband about the accident in her letters to him, believing he already had enough to worry about,[9] and the U.S. State Department told a surgeon who operated upon her not to mention anything to the press, lest it worsen the treatment for John McCain.[16] Businessman and POW advocate Ross Perot paid for her medical care[17]and she remained grateful to him: "The military families are in Ross's heart and in his soul ... There are millions of us who are extremely grateful to Ross Perot."[18] Years after John McCain found out about Perot's help, he said "we loved him for it."[19] She was interviewed on the CBS Evening News in 1970, and said that Christmas had no meaning for her without her husband present, but that she carried on with it for the sake of their children.[13]The McCains were reunited upon his release from captivity on March 14, 1973.[20] She was now four inches (ten centimeters) shorter, on crutches, and substantially heavier than when he had last seen her;[17] he was also visibly hampered by his injuries and the mistreatment he had endured from the North Vietnamese.
McCain divorced her in 1980 and married Cindy, 18 years his junior and the heir to an Arizona brewing fortune, just one month later....'My accident is well recorded. I had 23 operations, I am five inches shorter than I used to be and I was in hospital for six months. It was just awful, but it wasn’t the reason for my divorce.‘My marriage ended because John McCain didn’t want to be 40, he wanted to be 25. You know that happens...it just does.’
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