WASHINGTON, Aug. 22 (UPI) -- A White House manual released as part of a lawsuit instructs advance staffers how to deter "potential protesters" from President George Bush's appearances.
The "Presidential Advance Manual," dated October 2002, says Bush appearances around the country must be open only to those given tickets by organizers and anyone entering the events must be checked for secret signs, The Washington Post reported Wednesday.
The manual, which is stamped "Sensitive -- Do Not Copy," was released to the American Civil Liberties Union as part of a lawsuit brought by the organization and two people arrested for refusing to hide their anti-Bush t-shirts at a West Virginia State Capitol appearance in 2004.
The document states that any protesters who manage to enter the events should be shouted down by "rally squads" stationed in strategic locations in the crowd. If that strategy does not work, the manual says, the protesters should be removed.
The manual demonstrates "that the White House has a policy of excluding and/or attempting to squelch dissenting viewpoints from presidential events," said ACLU lawyer Jonathan Miller. "Individuals should have the right to express their opinion to the president, even if it's not a favorable one."
