Cindy Sheehan Update!

Alright, help me out here. Does anyone know what this means?

From Wikipedia: "In the United States, the right to petition is guaranteed by the First Amendment to the Constitution, and specifically prohibits Congress from abrdiging "the right of the people ... to petition the Government for a redress of grievances." Its roots within the colonies can be traced back to the Declaration of Independence,. Historically, the right can be traced further back to English documents such as the Magna Carta, which, by its acceptance by the monarchy, implicitly affirmed the right, and the later Bill of Rights 1689, which explicitly declared the "right of the subjects to petition the king".

While the prohibition of abridgement of the right to petition originally referred only to the federal legislature (the Congress) and courts, the incorporation doctrine later expanded the protection of the right to its current scope, over all state and federal courts and legislatures and the executive branches of the state and federal governments. The right to petition includes under its umbrella the right to sue the government, and the right of individuals, groups, and corporations (via corporate personhood), to lobby the government."

Also from Wikipedia: "The freedom of assembly in order to protest sometimes conflicts with laws intended to protect public safety, even in democratic countries: in many cities, the police are authorized by law to disperse any crowd (including a crowd of political protesters) which threatens public safety, or which the police cannot control. The idea is to prevent rioting. Often local law requires that a permit must be obtained in advance by protest organizers if a protest march is anticipated; the permit application can be denied. Sometimes this bureaucratic power is abused by lawmakers if the protest is not a popular one in the community or with the local government, with the permit process in some cities taking a great deal of time, organization, and even money required before a permit is issued -- and then, when issued, time and location restrictions are sometimes added."

Alright, after reading that read this:

"(AP) Peace activist Cindy Sheehan and three other women were convicted of trespassing Monday for trying to delivery an anti-Iraq war petition to the U.S. Mission to the United Nations and refusing to leave. Prosecutors said they were arrested after ignoring police orders to disperse.

The four were acquitted of disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and obstructing government administration. They had faced up to a year in jail if convicted of all counts.

The women, calling their campaign "Women Say No To War," had hoped to give the petition to Peggy Kerry, the mission's liaison for non-governmental organizations and sister of Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., as they had in 2005.

Kerry refused to meet with the women in the presence of Cindy Sheehan and the news media. She testified during the trial that the presentation seemed like a publicity stunt.

The women ignored police orders to leave and were reading it aloud on the sidewalk when police moved in. The women sat on the sidewalk and were carried to patrol wagons.

The trial began Dec. 5 in Manhattan Criminal Court. Sheehan's co-defendants were Melissa Beattie, 57, of New York; Patricia Ackerman, 48, of Nyack, N.Y., and Benjamin, 54, of San Francisco."

Now my questions: How can someone be convicted of trespassing on a public sidewalk? How can someone be charged resisting arrest when they are simply not helping the police to arrest them, i.e. taking no action to either further nor hinder police efforts? How can Peggy Kerry refuse to accept a petition as a governmental employee? Why can't people realize what Cindy Sheehan is doing IS exactly a publicity stunt. That's the whole point, to get attention for what she believes in. What about donating a wing to a medical facility, or trying to cure AIDS. The biggest difference is that everybody hates AIDS. Everybody doesn't hate G.W. Bush. Publicity raises awareness and educates people. It is one of the most critical building blocks of our society. Like muscles, you must exercise your rights, or they will get all jiggly and weak.

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