Mom went to the State of the Union, and all I got was...

"2245 Dead. How many more?"
That kind of talk can get you kicked right out of the State of the Union. Well, maybe not so much "talk" as "T-shirt." That's what Cindy Sheehan's shirt said last night when she was asked to leave, then arrested before G.W.P. Bush's speech. She was invited, given a ticket by her very own Congressperson (Lynn Woolsey, a Democrat from Marin County). Sheehan did appear to violate Title 40, Section 5104 of the United States Code, which prohibits displaying "a flag, banner, or device designed or adapted to bring into public notice a party, organization, or movement" on Capitol grounds.
In the interest of bi-partisan equal time, Beverly Young, the wife of Florida Republican Rep. C.W. Bill Young, was removed for wearing a "Support the Troops" shirt in the gallery. Ms. Young says she was sitting in the front row of the House gallery last night when she was approached by someone who told her she needed to leave. She says she reluctantly agreed, but argued with several officers in an outside hallway.
Cindy Sheehan was also charged with unlawful conduct. Beverly Young was not. That might explain why Capitol Hill police dropped the charge early Wednesday. This is the most recent in a string of t-shirt imbroglio.
Is it okay to wear a t-shirt that says "Fire" in a crowded movie house? I know that at our elementary school we don't let kids wear whatever mildly amusing or offensive slogan they might care to on their t-shirts. We send them home, or have them wear their shirts inside out for the rest of the day. Are we limiting the kids' free speech? If there is a rule on the books that says you can't "bring into public notice a party, organization, or movement" in the United States Code, are we going to draw the line at outerwear? What about those tacky lapel flag pins, or the amazing array of ribbons for this or that cause?
The worst news in all of this? Sheehan's t-shirt will soon be out date.