Kerry heckler claims assault & the right wing's idea of discourse

Heckler at Kerry speech says he was assaulted [This link may only be viable for seven days as the newspaper archives their stuff after that.]

No charges filed so it's difficult to say whether or not the heckler in question was, indeed, physically abused or if he's just another right-wing whiner trying to stir up trouble by playing the victim. Thing is, you'll note that he was not arrested and that is a good thing. I agree with Kerry when he responded to the heckler by saying, "I have nothing but the greatest respect for people's right to have their opinions and to express them here in the United States of America." But then he added, "It's a terrific tactic of the Bush team, they love to disrupt, they love to interrupt. They don't want America to hear the truth, but we will talk the truth." I think that goes a bit too far because there's been plenty of folks on the left who have indeed tried to disrupt the GOP candidates. However, the right wingers do tend to clamp down--but hard!--on any dissent. Remember the couple in West Virgina who were arrested, not for vocal heckling but for wearing anti-Bush t-shirts? Hmm, a double standard for dissenters?

Which brings me to something else which bears watching. No deep analysis ready for you yet, just a casting of a wary eye to something under the radar. Beware of and on the lookout for the ProtestWarriors. Rather than legitimate protestors with a right-wing agenda, they seem more like agitators aiming to provoke the lefties into misbehavior and then using that against them. If true, that's not political discourse; it is a propagandist hit squad.