Another Hero

54-year-old Perry Patterson, a full-time homemaker from Eugene, Oregon, went to a Dick Cheney rally last week and became the latest in a long line of "dissenters" at Bush/Cheney events who end up in the hands of the police. As she tells it:

When [Cheney] said, `We've made the world a safer place,' I just had this primal need to say `No!' at the top of my voice. I was surprised at myself that I let loose like that, but I did.

As a result of this outburst, she was immediately escorted out of the event by security personnel and asked to leave the premises. When she asked how she could be thrown out when she had a ticket, she was told that the owner of the venue no longer wanted her there and that if she didn't leave she would be cited with criminal trespassing. When the police were unable to provide her with written notice or a Monaco representative to personally order her off the premises, she refused to leave and was cited with second-degree criminal trespass, a misdemeanor with a fine of up to $250 and she faces an Oct. 1 court date.

Patterson said she attended Friday's rally at a Monaco Coach hangar at the Eugene Airport with the expectation that people of all political views would be welcome.

She said she expected audience members to be able to ask questions of Cheney. As the mother of sons ages 16 and 22, Patterson said she wanted to ask Cheney if he and Bush would be reinstating the military draft to ensure adequate troop levels in Iraq.

Sadly, that's become too much to ask of our President and Vice President.

See the stories of the other heroes of the 2004 campaign HERE and HERE.