Trampling Free Speech
By Nigel French
The mood on the New York City streets the night Bush accepted his party’s nomination was subdued, resigned even. In the short term, at least, the police tactic to arrest as many people as possible and to detain those people as long as possible sadly worked. As the time the RNC came to a close, as Bush assured us that we are winning the war on terror, liberating the people of Iraq, and enjoying unprecedented prosperity at home, the NYPD had made over 2,000 arrests, detaining the protesters for 24, 48, and up to 60 hours. The police sweeps sent an unequivocal message to the protesters on the streets who thereafter, consciously or otherwise, guarded their liberty with unreasonable caution.