corrente

So for the last couple of days we've been following the story of a guy who got into a Bush rally despite not being a Believer in the One True Faith. He asked a couple of questions, in a rather loud voice. Details below, but suffice to say he did not whip out a karaoke machine and launch into several verses of "Idiot Son of an Asshole" which is what *I* would be tempted to do given such an opportunity.

Well anyway he got tossed out of the rally (par for the course) but then came worse news. He got fired from his job as a graphic designer. We now know, courtesy of WaPo, just who the "client" of his firm was got him canned:

Sandy Sponaugle, [the Octavo client] who gave Hiller the ticket for the restricted event, said his behavior was out of line and made the crowd uncomfortable.

"All I thought was it's not the time or place to be disrespectful of the president of the United States," said Sponaugle. She said Hiller's behavior has put her own work in jeopardy.

Hiller said he doesn't regret what he did Tuesday and said he would do it again. Hiller, 35, said he waited for lulls in the president's speech to shout questions and comments challenging what he called "half-truths" in Bush's statements. He said he asked Bush about the benefits of outsourcing jobs, justifications for the war in Iraq and inspectors' inability to find weapons of mass destruction there. He said that at one point, he shouted, "Would you sacrifice your daughters to liberate Iraq?"

He said he was motivated by how Bush is "pulverizing" society and making people believe "that if somebody disagrees with you, they are bad." He also criticized rallies where tickets are required to attend.

"It's a completely scripted speech in a controlled environment where nobody but those who support him [is] allowed in," he said.

Hiller has two children, ages 15 months and 3 years, and he said he has interviews lined up in his search for a new job.

As for Sponaugle, she isn't surprised Octavo fired Hiller.

"In any business, you can't jeopardize client relationships," she said. "You can't be a small business and have your clients wondering what you're going to do next."

So a guy with two little kids is out on his ass. And you know the sorriest thing about it? Sandy and Sue, despite having gone out of their way to make sure it was well known that this guy was shitcanned, are very likely lying in their beds tonight staring at the ceiling, wondering what kind of a shitstorm is about to descent on them in turn. Are their clients going to dump them now? Are their businesses going down the drain? Do they have kids to support too, here in Dear Leader's wonderful economy?

This is the level of fear they've generated in America. "Harbor a terrorist, fund a terrorist, associate with a terrorist, and YOU are a terrorist." Dissenters are terrorists, arent' they?