Police chased reporters away from the White House and closed Lafayette Park today in response to a gay rights protest in which several service members in full uniform handcuffed themselves to the White House gate to protest "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."
People who have covered the White House for years tell me that's an extremely unusual thing to do in an area that regularly features protests.
A reporter can be seen in the YouTube video [below] calling the move "outrageous" and "ridiculous."
From MSNBC:
Park Police arrested several gay rights protestors who had handcuffed themselves to the fence in front of the White House. Capt. P.J. Beck of the Park Police said they were arrested for "failure to obey a lawful order" and that they would be taken to the Anacostia station to be processed.Apparently, the White House decided to close off Lafayette Park to the protesters today to retaliate for the heckling the President received at the DNC fundraiser last night. Or, perhaps Obama simply can't take the heat and the bad press.
According to a release from GetEQUAL, the gay rights group that organized the protest, there were six service members arrested. Police uncuffed them and slowly led them away one by one. Lt. Dan Choi, who was arrested here in a similar protest on March 18th, was the last to be handcuffed. GetEQUAL also organized that protest, and was also behind the group of protestors who interrupted President Obama's remarks at a Democratic National Committee fundraiser in Los Angeles Monday night.
Meanwhile, Libtalker Ed Schultz went berserk today when someone called into his radio program and criticized the President for evincing a lack of openness and transparency during the time he was pushing his healthcare bill.
"President Obama couldn't have been any more transparent!" Schultz hollered. "He couldn't have been any more open!"
Schultz also claimed to have read through the 2000 page health care bill.
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