Knight Ridder
WASHINGTON - The ejection of two women from the U.S. Capitol for wearing message T-shirts during President Bush's State of the Union speech this week was the latest incident in a growing trend of stifling dissent.
...But their actions weren't atypical in today's overheated political climate. Protesters outside political conventions are herded behind razor wire far from the action, citizens wearing a rival candidate's stickers are forcefully ejected from presidential campaign rallies on public property, and those who heckle the president or broadcast issue ads within 60 days of an election can be prosecuted.
...This trend has a chilling effect on those who disagree with people in power, analysts say.
``The long-term consequence is a higher degree of self-censorship,'' O'Neill said. ``Society is the poorer when deprived of the marketplace of ideas.''
...It's a crime, punishable by up to six months in prison, to ``disrupt'' an event guarded by the Secret Service, which includes presidential rallies. A proposed extension of the Patriot Act now being negotiated in Congress would broaden such prohibitions to other vaguely defined national events.
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