Bush criminalizes criticism

The Onion or real life?

In a motion filed Friday, Brett Bursey's attorney included testimony from a Michigan case to boost his argument that the U.S. Secret Service unfairly pushes protesters hundreds of yards away from the president while allowing supporters to line Bush's route.

Defense lawyer Lewis Pitts wants documents from state and federal authorities he said will prove his claim that Bursey "has been wrongly charged simply for criticizing the president."

Bursey, 54, faces a seldom-used federal charge of entering a restricted area around the president of the United States. He faces up to six months in prison and a $5,000 fine if convicted.

To bolster his argument, Pitts included parts of a transcript from a Michigan state trial where a college student was arrested for trespassing after he refused to put down a sign critical of Bush.

In the transcript, a police captain said the Secret Service told him to move anyone protesting the president away from areas near where Bush would speak.

The issue isn't security, said Bursey, pointing out that the Michigan arrest happened before the 2001 terrorist attacks. "They want no photo opportunity that would show the president in a bad light," he said.

Bursey, who held a sign that said "No War for Oil," contends other people with signs favoring Bush were allowed to stay in the area.

Bush Asks Congress for $30 Billion to help Fight War on Criticism.

Citing the need to safeguard "America's most vital institutions and politicians" against potentially devastating attacks, President Bush asked Congress to sign off Monday on a $30 billion funding package to help fight the ongoing War On Criticism.