Democracy Gone Astray

Democracy, being a human construct, needs to be thought of as directionality rather than an object. As such, to understand it requires not so much a description of existing structures and/or other related phenomena but a declaration of intentionality.
This blog aims at creating labeled lists of published infringements of such intentionality, of points in time where democracy strays from its intended directionality. In addition to outright infringements, this blog also collects important contemporary information and/or discussions that impact our socio-political landscape.

All the posts here were published in the electronic media – main-stream as well as fringe, and maintain links to the original texts.

[NOTE: Due to changes I haven't caught on time in the blogging software, all of the 'Original Article' links were nullified between September 11, 2012 and December 11, 2012. My apologies.]

Thursday, October 06, 2011

Grinnell Students Hold Protest Signs At Bachmann Event, Are Cordoned Off By Police

Grinnell students are certainly a political force to be reckoned with.

On Tuesday, Michelle Bachmann made a campaign stop at Caroll's Pumpkin Patch in Iowa. When she arrived, she was greeted by about 50 Grinnell students milling about and holding signs.

Does this sound like a threatening scene? The police thought so. At about 5:30, right before the event was to start, the police cordoned the students from the gathering with tape.

The New York Times has more:
A few students, who had been alerted to the visit by an e-mail from the campus Democrats, unfurled signs protesting Mrs. Bachmann's opposition to gay rights ("Pumpkins are the Gayest"). But there was no chanting and no heckling. Most students said they had come to hear her speak and to ask a question or two. "Grinnell's known for being a very liberal and politically active campus, but we're very peaceful,'' said one student, Jillian Johnson. "We weren't going to throw anything. We just wanted her to talk to us."
A Bachmann spokesman denied the barrier had anything to do with the students presence. CBS reports, however, that she cut short her visit and canceled her speech.

Bachmann was at the patch to fund-raise for a Christian group called The Family Leader.

“This was never intended to be a big public event,” Bachmann told reporters, “This was always intended to be a private fundraiser.”

Origin
Source: Huffington 

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