Citizen Harassed At Iowa Bush Appearance

I am a registered Democrat and voting for John Kerry but I thought it would be educational for my daughters and me to go see Bush speak at the Davenport, Iowa, riverfront today (08/04/04). I wanted them to see that in America the [government] was suppose to be working for all Americans and even if I didn't agree with [their] policies, that at least I could still show my children how elections and politics work. I waited in line, picked up my Bush tickets for me and my kids and rode down to the speech with some of my Republican friends and children, waited in line some more to enter the park to hear [Bush]. When I got up to the front of the line and was going through, I was grabbed by the security, pushed to the side (in front of my children and Republican friends) and my ticket was ripped and they said, "We don't like your pin, so get out of here". I was wearing a small pin that said "John Kerry 2004". The worst part is that the security team did this in front of my children; I want my daughters to understandthat in America we have the right to free speech and that we have the first amendment, but that was blatantly violated. I wasn't making a scene; I didn't even say anything, just a little pin. My daughters don't understand why this happened. They thought in America people could express themselves without repression. What is the problem with this picture? I feel that someone owes me, my friends and daughters an apology and that someone needs to reforce my rights as an American. I might be just an average guy, butI am still an American citizen.

Glen Wooldridge
Davenport, IA