Who can forget the campaigns of 2004 and 2008 when Crawford Caligula and McConJob kept their audiences pure by refusing access to anyone who might criticize them. When it comes to the press, the Republican Senate nominee runs from them at an obtuse angle. But the Alaska Senate nominee has set the bar for defining freedom of the press, Republican style.
Security guards for Alaska senate candidate Joe Miller handcuffed and detained the editor of the online magazine "Alaska Dispatch" on Sunday while he tried to interview the Republican nominee, according to multiple reports.
The Anchorage Daily News reports that Tony Hopfinger, who founded and edits "Alaska Dispatch," was arrested by Miller’s private guards at an Anchorage school. The senate hopeful was on hand as part of a town hall event.
The firm that handles Miller’s security says that Hopfinger shoved a man, but Hopfinger claims that he only pushed back at a guard after the guard began pushing him.
According to an article at the website for "Alaska Dispatch," Hopfinger was warned that he would be charged with trespassing if he did not cease asking questions and leave the premises.
Hopfinger had been trying to ask Miller questions when two or three guards told him to leave or risk being charged with trespassing… [emphasis added]
Inserted from <Huffington Post>
I have never been to a Democratic campaign rally where people, let alone press, were excluded due to their political views. If Republicans take power, the Republican Reichsministry of Propaganda, Fox, may be the only ones with access.
8 Responses to “Freedom of the Press, Republican Style”
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There is more to Joe “cut entitlements from DC” than this obtuse restriction of a reporter. The man has 8 kids and had been receiving state medicaid (1/2 paid for by the Federal Gov.) and partook of other state programs for low income people in AK. I wonder why it is a man with a law degree and his own practice had to go on welfare to ensure HIS kids were taken care of in 2002 but now wants there to be no care for my kids in 2010.
As far as the handcuff incident you forgot to mention that apparently the reporters video camera had been tampered with and the portion of covering the confrontation had been erased.
I did not know about the camera, Mark. Thanks.
With goons like Miller’s, can Brown Shirts be far behind? Here’s Miller’s official “take” on the incident:
There’s an excellent Diary that’s just made the Recommended list at DailyKos entitled “Joe Miller Invokes East Germany as Security Model, Then Has Blog Editor Arrested by Thugs” that actually details how Miller was about to be fired as borough attorney (MIller resigned instead) after criminally tampering with computers. And this from someone who oversaw Miller’s activities – the former Republican mayor of Fairbanks, Jim Whitaker!
Nameless, I have said for quite a while that I consider the Teabaggers nothing more than Republican Brownshirts. Great links.
This man is a complete nutjob. When the real police got there, they released the reporter. I don’t want to go back to the days where wearing a T-shirt opposing a Bush policy got you arrested. WTF are these people thinking? I hope he loses in a landslide. TWM – that’s an interesting point about him being on Medicaid for his 8 (WTH?) kids. It’s called birth control, he should look into it. Total Repub jackass. 👿
All Teabagger ladies should use aspitin for birth control and hold one tablet firmly between their knees at all times.
Anyone who can’t see that the Tea Baggers are the American Brown Shirts deserves to have their rights taken away by these same thugs. Just don’t come crying to me when they do.
Realist, this time we completely agree.