AP - A heckler who confronted Sen. George Allen (news, bio, voting record) at a campaign appearance Tuesday was put in a chokehold and slammed to the floor by three of the Republican's supporters in an incident captured on video. Mike Stark, a liberal blogger and first-year University of Virginia ...
10-31-2006, 04:01 PM
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| Stay classy!   
| Heckler subdued at George Allen event AP - A heckler who confronted Sen. George Allen (news, bio, voting record) at a campaign appearance Tuesday was put in a chokehold and slammed to the floor by three of the Republican's supporters in an incident captured on video. Mike Stark, a liberal blogger and first-year University of Virginia law student, approached Allen at an event in Charlottesville, loudly asking him, "Why did you spit at your first wife, George?" according to witnesses. Three men, all wearing blue Allen lapel stickers, immediately grabbed Stark, dragged him backward and slung him to the carpet outside a hotel meeting room, according to video captured by WVIR-TV in Charlottesville. There was no immediate word on whether Stark was injured. There is telephone no listing for Stark at the university, and there was no immediate response to an e-mail sent to him. Last edited by motivez; 10-31-2006 at 04:12 PM. | ||||
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10-31-2006, 04:12 PM
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| ipsa Scientia Potestas est  Pragmatist Greensboro, NC
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10-31-2006, 04:15 PM
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| ipsa Scientia Potestas est Pragmatist Greensboro, NC
| Seems Republicans assaulting citizens asking questions is becoming fairly common? Daily Kos: CO-04: Musgrave and her thugs in action | ||||
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10-31-2006, 05:31 PM
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| Better Dead than Red  Democrat Where America Goes to Talk
| Originally Posted by motivez he is 
 VA-SEN: Allen Tackle Victim Speaks; Pressing Charges | TPMCafe So I just got hold of Mike Stark, the fellow who was thrown to the ground by GOP Senator George Allen's staffers because he posed a difficult question or two to their boss. Unfortunately Stark's cell phone ran out of juice soon after we started talking, but I was able to get a bit about what happened from him. Stark appears to be taking this to the proper authorities, as they say -- in an email before we spoke, he wrote that he was on his way to "go press charges." Interview with Stark after the jump. Here's what Stark told me: "I went in there, sat through an event...while he was gladhandling, I approached him, got within four feet." "My question was, `Senator Allen, Democrats are making this election about accountability. You can shut them up by telling us what was in your police records from the seventies.' He kind of muttered to himself, kind of, `I'm not gonna go there.' Immediately his campaign staff started pushing me around, shoving me around, trying to form a human wall between me and him. I continued to pace him out into the lobby. My next question was, `Is it true that you spit on your wife?'" "Then somebody said, `Now you're getting personal,' and wrestled me to the ground.'" At this point Stark's phone went dead. So Stark says he was pushed and shoved for asking one question, even though he apparently didn't invade Allen's space. Then he was wrestled to the ground for asking a second one. We're trying to get him on the phone again. More coming. | ||||
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10-31-2006, 05:33 PM
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| Braccae tuae aperiuntur.  Reform Party NJ
| I saw the video. Didn't see a chokehold. The man was heckling Allen. A couple guys grabbed him and tried to shove him out the door. In the struggle the man fell down and the old dude who was trying remove him fell on top of him. Last edited by JaJae; 10-31-2006 at 05:40 PM. | ||||
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10-31-2006, 05:39 PM
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| Better Dead than Red Democrat Where America Goes to Talk
| um... that's not legal though. last time i checked, asking questions... even "heckling" is legal  | ||||
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10-31-2006, 05:41 PM
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| Braccae tuae aperiuntur. Reform Party NJ
| Originally Posted by SoFlaJDM I didn't say it was. Just saying what I saw. When it was over they questioned Allen about it and he says nonchalantly: "It happens"
I was like .... "it happens!!!!"???? wtf kind of campaign has he been running. | ||||
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10-31-2006, 09:39 PM
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| Braccae tuae aperiuntur. Reform Party NJ
| Mike Stark is a DailyKos writer who was there looking for trouble.
“Recently I’ve been thinking about how to put these “guerrilla tactics” to use where it matters: winning elections.” “I want to leverage our capability and, occasionally flex our collective muscle by taking over wingnut show… let’s put those f*****s on notice. … All it would take is one troll running back to their evil lair and telling Hannity or O’Reilly or Limbaugh that we are about to ambush them…” “I’m also trying to “Roger and Me” George Allen whenever I can.” http://www.augustafreepress.com/stories/storyReader$40417 # At a previous Allen event, he found out a cameraman was with the Webb campaign and told him to get ready for the ambush he had prepared… “I told him to put his still camera away and get out his video camera.” # …after which, he was… “asked to leave a George Allen campaign event in Staunton today after interrupting the start of a local press availability with the senator to ask him a series of questions that included a racial slur.” Here's his blog where he brags about heckling Allen on a constant basis Senator Allen: Are you a racist? at Calling All Wingnuts
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10-31-2006, 09:46 PM
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| ipsa Scientia Potestas est Pragmatist Greensboro, NC
| Uhm, video doesn't show him pushing anyone or invading Allen's personal space. So, that's a lie. Secondly, if you didn't see the choke hold, you didn't watch the video very closely, it's so obvious.. Lastly, "violent" is a misnomer and factually incorrect. | ||||
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10-31-2006, 09:57 PM
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| Banned  Progressive Philadelphia, PA
| Originally Posted by JaJae He didn't shove anyone, you're making shit up
I know Mike Stark personally, he's one of George Allen's constituents and a political activist, he had every right to do what he did. And wow, I'm so impressed you would have punched him, news flash for you, he's an a young ex-marine and he would have kicked your ass if he actually wanted a fight, but he wasn't there for a fight. He's gone to DOZENS of Allen events, dressed up nicely, and asks clear questions at Allen for months, Allen could have easily gotten a restraining order after the 99th time if he really thought his constituent was doing anything illegal or wrong. He doesn't disrupt Allen's speechs, or come reeking of booze, etc...he's not some hippy protester, he sits there patiently and waits to spring a surprise question at Allen when Allen is leaving a reception or just walking silently somewhere, at every chance he gets. During the Clinton years we called those people "White House reporters" I'm still  at the idea of you punching Mike, I mean, talk about a fast way to not walk the rest of your life | ||||
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10-31-2006, 10:02 PM
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| Braccae tuae aperiuntur. Reform Party NJ
| Originally Posted by motivez It's obvious? He had him in a headlock for all of half a second . Having your arm wrapped around the back of his head is not a choke hold. A choke hold requires restriction of breath. In no way, was there anything close to a choke hold administered to him.
And the article states he shoved someone the first time. The second time he tried to shove his way through the man in the white shirt. When the man put his hand up to point for him to get out, he grabbed him by the wrists and engaged in a struggle. The man shoved him after being grabbed. Then another man grabbed him by the back of the head to break the hold he had on another man. Keep in mind this was the second incident today. He had already shoved someone and had been heckling Allen the entire campaign. | ||||
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10-31-2006, 10:05 PM
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| ipsa Scientia Potestas est Pragmatist Greensboro, NC
| 404 shoving not found. First I've heard of it and that's the only site reporting it that I've seen. The video contradicts the website, so... | ||||
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10-31-2006, 10:06 PM
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| Braccae tuae aperiuntur. Reform Party NJ
| Originally Posted by Thorgrim I'm not making shit up. The article did if that's your position. And blogging with him on Kos doesn't make you an expert of what he did or didn't do. And yes if he had shoved me and then later grabbed me I would have punched him in the face.
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10-31-2006, 10:07 PM
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| Braccae tuae aperiuntur. Reform Party NJ
| Originally Posted by motivez Cause there's no video of the first interaction. Are we all on the same page here. There were two alleged incidents with him that day. The first one he shoved a man. The second one they kicked him out... without an obvious choke hold as is being claimed.
And if you listen to the video he goes "Now you're getting personal, I didn't touch anybody." They replied "Yes you did!" Last edited by JaJae; 10-31-2006 at 10:22 PM. | ||||
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10-31-2006, 10:13 PM
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| ipsa Scientia Potestas est Pragmatist Greensboro, NC
| I heard nothing about any incident other than the one where he asked Allen a question.. that there's video of. | ||||
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10-31-2006, 10:17 PM
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| Braccae tuae aperiuntur. Reform Party NJ
| Originally Posted by motivez Heckler subdued at George Allen event - Yahoo! News
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10-31-2006, 10:18 PM
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| Last Starfighter  Independent Northern California
| Heckling speakers is in poor taste, no matter the party members. And this thread is a good exaqmple of partisan politics. | ||||
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10-31-2006, 10:19 PM
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| helluo librorum The Lab Moderator  Humanist Chicago Suburbs
| He didn't shove anybody.  | ||||
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10-31-2006, 10:20 PM
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| helluo librorum The Lab Moderator Humanist Chicago Suburbs
| Originally Posted by Diamond Cross He wasn't speaking at the time. It's not like he crashed an event.
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