a T-shirt that said, “2,245 Dead. How many more?”

[updated 2/4/06]

Cindy Sheehan's t-shirt The first

casualty of this effort to make the Capitol safe for the president to expound about totalitarianism elsewhere was Cindy Sheehan, the

California mother of a soldier who was killed in Iraq as part of what Bush would describe as “the call of history to deliver the

oppressed.” Sheehan had the temerity to peel off her coat to reveal a T-shirt that said, “2,245 Dead. How many more?”

Sheehan was

hauled away in handcuffs and charged with unlawful conduct, a misdemeanor. Soon after, sharp-eyed police spotted Beverly Young, wife of a

Florida congressman — sitting near first lady Laura Bush with a T-shirt that said, “Support the Troops — Defending Our Freedom.”

Young was quickly ejected from the gallery. Despite an angry exchange with police — she called an officer “an idiot” for classifying

her T-shirt as “a protest” — she was not arrested. With the gallery cleared of “trouble,” Bush delivered his speech, with a tiny flag

pin on his lapel and the usual giant American flag backdrop.

“Every step toward freedom in the world makes our country

safer — so we will act boldly in freedom’s cause,” said Bush, to robust applause.

By LAURIE KELLMAN, The Associated Press

Capitol Police dropped a charge of unlawful conduct against anti-war activist Cindy

Sheehan on Wednesday and apologized for ejecting her and a congressman’s wife from President Bush’s State of the Union address for

wearing T-shirts with war messages.

HERE IS CINDY’S OWN REPORT:

As most of you have probably heard, I was arrested before the State of the Union Address tonight.

I am speechless with fury at what happened and with grief over what we have lost in our country.

There have been lies from

the police and distortions by the press. (Shocker) So this is what really happened: …

I was never told that I couldn’t wear

that shirt into the Congress. I was never asked to take it off or zip my jacket back up. If I had been asked to do any of those

things…I would have, and written about the suppression of my freedom of speech later. I was immediately, and roughly (I have the

bruises and muscle spasms to prove it) hauled off and arrested for “unlawful conduct.” …

I wore the shirt to make a statement.

The press knew I was going to be there and I thought every once in awhile they would show me and I would have the shirt on. I did not

wear it to be disruptive, or I would have unzipped my jacket during George’s speech. If I had any idea what happens to people who wear

shirts that make the neocons uncomfortable that I would be arrested…maybe I would have, but I didn’t.

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