No suspension for US bridge players over anti-Bush protest

[sabra]

Source: AFP

WASHINGTON (AFP) — The US women's bridge team will not be suspended for making an anti-Bush statement during an international competition last month, the game's US federation said Tuesday, ending a crisis in the normally sedate world of bridge.

"The US Bridge Federation and the players on the US Venice Cup world championship bridge team... have resolved all issues relating to events that occurred at the closing ceremony of the 2007 World Bridge Championship in Shanghai," the federation said in a statement posted on its website.

"The US Bridge Federation board has dismissed all charges against the players on the Venice Cup team," the statement said.

The women's team, made up of six players and team captain Gail Greenberg, held up a sign that read "We did not vote for Bush" when they collected their gold medals at the world championships in China.

Read more: http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5iE2rErZlqGregXX_jJVDN3P6YDLQ

[Mz Pip]

1. Someone came to their senses

What an over the top reaction to a small sign of protest. Whoever recommended the suspension must have been a Bush supporter since nothing else makes much sense.

Mz Pip
:dem:

[MADem]

2. How nice that their First Amendment rights weren't abrogated. NT

[TechBear_Seattle]

3. Instead, upon their return to the United States....

O`Lielly, inHannity and other Faux News talking-heads will tase them and beat them to a pulp for being dissenters, as per http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=2319150&mesg_id=2319150">this thread.

[Bluzmann57]

4. The real shame of all this

In my opinion, the real shame of this whole episode is that it's a news story at all. These ladies are Americans and presumably have freedom of speech as guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution. Or at least they used to. It sucks that people get ripped for saying something "controversial" and that the whole damn world hates us because of the dumbass in charge.

[indepat]

7. That's sooooooooooooo pre-9-11: now everything is different and that quaint Constitution is just a

piece of paper that done got revoked.

[RavensChick]

13. Thank you!

Those ladies ought to be commended for speaking out! It wasn't even a top news story in the first place, so why jack them up and put them and their families and the bridge club through this? It made no sense in the beginning, so I'm glad they won't be suspended. They had every right to voice their opinion and they did. If anything, they're the heroines, not the suspects!

Ladies, kudos to you!!!!
:yourock:

[ChairmanAgnostic]

5. a grand slam, bid, doubled, redoubled, and made cold! YEAH

rational thought returns.

[OKNancy]

6. First amendment rights only apply to the government

not some private club or federation. It's really disgusting what the WBC did, but
it's not a First amendment issue.

[drmeow]

9. Thank you - I was going to post something very similar n/t

[Jim Lane]

15. WBC?

My first thought was "World Bridge Congress", but the international governing body is the World Bridge Federation.

Anyway, I agree with you about the scope of the First Amendment, but this particular disgusting action was taken by the U.S. Bridge Federation, not by any world body. I'd guess that the community of international bridge players was largely supportive of the U.S. players' action.

[ThomCat]

8. I hope they took stock of all the bad press they caused

by getting all upset about that sign. If they'd ignored it then it wouldn't have been nearly as big a deal.

[slackmaster]

10. I love a good pun in a headline

Sounds like the debate ended in a "draw".

[truedelphi]

12. I missed the pun in that headline

I guess that for me, initially it wasn't in the cards!

[sutz12]

11. How was this even a "protest?"

IIRC, they were responding to the negative comments they were getting from their fellow players from around the world.

A protest would have read "Bush Sucks." What they wrote was simple self defense. :)

[DLnyc]

14. Yes, the real story is that when you go abroad as an American, you get

more or less constant inquiry from peers to the effect of "how can you let your government ignore global warming and participate in pre-emptive war, torture, rendition, and other goodies?" I have experienced this myself. Believe me, it is only human decency and politeness to aknowledge those concerns by saying "we didn't vote for the idiot bastards." (Unless, of course, one did. But then 'human decency' doesn't exactly apply in that case.)

As one German said to me: "We don't hate Americans. It's just your Fuhrer we can't stand."