Friday, August 08, 2008

John Quinn update

OK, this is funny.

I never claimed that video bloggers aren't occasionally annoying in their own way. But from the follow up video below, you can see just how the heckler deals with the situation when the tables are turned.

The video blogger follows Quinn out of the hall and asks him questions. He starts whining to the police, repeatedly, that he's being "harassed", when in fact the video blogger is simply exercising the exact same First Amendment rights that Quinn himself took advantage of when he disrupted Sen. Obama's speech.

I'm astounded by the utter hypocrisy of these pseudo-patriots like John Quinn who interrupt speeches to scream about the flag and then demand that anyone who opposes them be silenced or arrested. Hey asshole, it's STILL a free country!

And maybe you should try that shit at a McCain rally and see if you get even a fraction of the leeway you were given the other day. If you're LUCKY, you'll ONLY be shouted down by the rabid crowd. I've heard of hecklers being physically assaulted in those instances.



(Video by blogger interrupted)

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

thanks for the shout out, bob! it was a bit nerve racking, and it ain't my finest moment, but i erred on the side of...well....persistence.

Frank Krasicki said...

I love it. Where was the MSM? Russo is the only journalist in a national press corp savvy enough to stick with the story.

The second thing that I love about this footage is how the police kept their cool. This video should be standard training video for all the trigger-happy taser departments who are killing civilians for misdemeanors. Russo deserves a badge of courage.

The final thing about this incident that remains disconcerting is that the secret service seemed to be unable to respond to the incident within the hall.

This guy should have never been able to raise his camera without a double-check of the instrument.

Secondly, this incident is a classic example of creating a diversion in a public place while the security is thinned at the critical perimeter around the candidate.

This should be a wake-up call.

-Krasicki

CT Bob said...

Tim, as I said on your blog, I think you did an awesome job. Persistence is a big part of video blogging, but also courage and the ability to see and take advantage of an opportunity is very important. You did great on all points!

Anonymous said...

however it would have been more effective if you had spelled the word assault correctly.

not an insult. just a point of clarification.

CT Bob said...

Wait. What?

Where did I spell "assault" incorrectly?

It's OK if you want to point out misspellings, but I can't find the instance you're referring to.

CT Bob said...

Krasicki, I think the SS was on top of the situation.

I've been to an Obama rally as part of the media, and they direct all the media through a separate entrance, where the bags are searched, the person "wanded", and a bomb-sniffing dog sticks it's nose in your crotch (OK, that last part didn't really happen, but I kept my hands over my balls just in case!)

I'm sure the moment this guy started acting up, the SS was watching him carefully. These guys are experts at controlling nutjobs, and I'm positive they had his every move on their radar. Had this guy reached under his shirt or into a bag, you would have seen him get tackled and probably subdued within milliseconds.

That said, all it takes is one little lapse and we have an RFK situation all over again. I'm sure that potential scenario is scalded into the minds of every single security person working to protect Obama. There's nothing they'd like less than to allow something like that to happen on their watch.

Bob Symmes said...

Bob - the misspelling wasn't by you; it was in the video.

(BTW - anyone else notice John Quinn did NOT wear the mandatory American flag lapel pin? Another reason for the Secret Service to detain him!)

CT Bob said...

Oh, thank Bob. Yeah, I'm not responsible for misspellings in other people's videos; I have a hard enough time grappling with my own use of the language!