Thou Shalt Not Dare Criticize The Dear Leader

Here's a story that I've seen almost nowhere, and that really should get wider attention.

A Denver-area man filed a lawsuit today against a member of the Secret Service for causing him to be arrested after he approached Vice President Dick Cheney in Beaver Creek this summer and criticized him for his policies concerning Iraq.

Attorney David Lane said that on June 16, Steve Howards was walking his 7-year-old son to a piano practice, when he saw Cheney surrounded by a group of people in an outdoor mall area, shaking hands and posing for pictures with several people.

According to the lawsuit filed at U.S. District Court in Denver, Howards and his son walked to about two-to-three feet from where Cheney was standing, and said to the vice president, "I think your policies in Iraq are reprehensible," or words to that effect, then walked on.

Ten minutes later, according to Howards' lawsuit, he and his son were walking back through the same area, when they were approached by Secret Service agent Virgil D. "Gus" Reichle Jr., who asked Howards if he had "assaulted" the vice president. Howards denied doing so, but was nonetheless placed in handcuffs and taken to the Eagle County Jail.

Are we criminalizing speech now? A private citizen says 8 words to the vice president and can be arrested for ASSAULTING him?

This finally hit The New York Times yesterday, so maybe it's seeping into the mainstream after primarily being a local story in Colorado. I think it's noteworthy for people to understand the executive branch's vision of "freedom" as it relates to dissent.