May 15, 2009
Pro-lifers, including elderly priest, arrested at Notre Dame

UPDATE, 2:35p: Am adding stills from archived video of the arrest...

Note all the media...

If you go to the video link above (video #4), begin watching at about 12:00. The arrest of this dear elderly priest (photos on page 2), while perhaps following the letter of the law, was despicable. Think of the circumstances. This almost made me cry....

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I gotta say I'm changing my mind on the value of civil disobedience at Notre Dame and the willingness of Alan Keyes et al to get arrested.

From Fox News, within the hour:

Protesters opposed to President Obama's address to the graduating class of Notre Dame were arrested Friday after they disobeyed rules about staging their demonstration and walked onto the university campus....

Protesters were told they could protest all they want in the town of South Bend, IN, but once they stepped onto Notre Dame property, they would be arrested.

Former presidential candidate Alan Keyes led about 50 people onto the campus. They came across the gate and about 200 yards up the driveway where campus police were waiting. They were peaceful. The police asked the protesters to leave. They refused and were taken into custody. Vans were ready to load them up.

Perhaps the most dramatic moment happened when Father Norman Weslin of Omaha, NE, a former army colonel and founder of the Lambs of Christ, refused to leave. He was singing and was carried off on a stretcher, not strong enough to march off on his own.

All in all, about 15 people, a group not from the Notre Dame community, were arrested.

Outside of the arrests, the campus was generally quiet. A lot of students say the president's visit has been a constant source of debate about the school's teachings on life.

Both sides have been very civil. However, the activity off campus has caused some anxiety for members of the community who say that raucous protests may detract from the students' graduation day....

[HT: reader Gene P.; photo attribution: Associated Press]

taken from Jill Stanek's blog.

President Obama will be speaking Sunday at the graduation. There is a lot of peaceful protesting, and obviously you are arrested only if you go on campus. Question of the day. Would you go on campus and be arrested if given the opportunity? Pam