it must be the end of something

I think this is ridiculous. And I really should be more upset about it, what with the freedom of the press and all. But a certain amount of schadenfreude can't be helped, considering how the press has bent over backwards to accommodate our self-styled overlords.

I'm also not sure what is the purpose of chasing the reporters away. If I were a gay rights activist, I'd be incensed because I will see this as the White House's attempt to muzzle the gay rights protesters and keep their protest from being reported in the media or at least trying to minimize it. You go to all that trouble of dressing up in uniform and handcuffing yourself to the White House gate, and the big story tonight is how no one got a picture of you doing it.

Ooh. Infringing freedom of the press and stepping on the gay activists' right to protest. A two-fer! Way to go, Obama White House!

(This should in no way to be construed as a mockery of the gay activists. I'm all for peaceful protests, and I think they have a valid reason to protest. But mockery of the press is wholly intended.)

Police chased reporters away from the White House and closed Lafayette Park today in response to a gay rights protest in which several service members in full uniform handcuffed themselves to the White House gate to protest "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

People who have covered the White House for years tell me that's an extremely unusual thing to do in an area that regularly features protests.

A reporter can be seen in the YouTube video above calling the move "outrageous" and "ridiculous."

(h/t Dan Riehl)