Originally posted by Dr Unne
It's not like they're forbidding protest. They're forbidding mobs from forming around the President.
No. They're not. If they were, they'd be restricting proponents of Bush in the same way. Now, instead of 2,000 equally divided people around him, there's 1,000 for around him, and 1,000 against a full mile away.

It MIGHT be different if these "zones" were put within eyeshot and earshot of the president...but not where they can neither see nor hear him, and where he can neither see nor hear them...because that's the whole POINT of protest. To make sure your voices are heard*. It kind of defeats the point of protest if the protestee can't see or hear the protesters...

*Yeah, SURE they're seen and heard by TV cameras, but TV cameras don't enforce laws.