We're going to need lots more jails to deal with all the mothers BushCheney are arresting lately.
A woman cited last week for trespassing at a rally featuring Vice President Dick Cheney said Tuesday that she had gone there with plans to ask about the draft - not to disrupt his speech.
"When he said, `We've made the world a safer place,' I just had this primal need to say `No!' at the top of my voice," 54-year-old Perry S. Patterson of Eugene said.
Patterson said that while she is a registered Democrat, she's not an activist and has never protested or demonstrated at a political event.
"I was surprised at myself that I let loose like that, but I did," Patterson said.
She was cited for second-degree criminal trespass, a misdemeanor with a fine of up to $250. 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, President Bush's running mate on this year's Republican ticket. 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.
After shouting from the back of the hanger, Patterson was escorted outside by security personnel.
She said she was told by Eugene police to leave or be cited for trespassing.
The full-time homemaker, who is working to establish a bed-and-breakfast, said she asked police how she could be considered a criminal trespasser when she had a ticket to attend the event.
The officer told Patterson that Monaco Coach personnel did not want her there, making her a criminal trespasser if she remained.
She said she decided to be cited after police were unable to provide her with written notice or a Monaco representative to personally order her off the premises.
A Monaco spokesman did not return a phone call seeking comment.
Patterson said she got her ticket for the event from a Republican campaign office and wasn't questioned about her status as a voter or a Bush supporter.
Bob Avery, chairman of the Lane County Republican Party, said it was difficult to accept Patterson's account, because volunteers at his office had been clearly instructed to screen ticket seekers to ensure that participants were either Bush-Cheney supporters or at least open-minded about backing the ticket's election.
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