I don't want to blog about Joe Miller and his merry gang of thugs Security Detail handcuffing and detaining a journalist at an Alaska town hall. That said it's going to be the news cycle today, so I too shall jump in the fray. This picture pretty much sums it up.

Alaska Dispatch founder and editor Tony Hopfinger sits with his wrists in handcuffs after being arrested by Republican Senate candidate Joe Miller's private security detail Oct. 17, 2010.

There is a Kos Diary that did a little digging about the security firm, *Drop Zone* -- The pictures are amazing and it's worth a peruse. I won't post the pictures here.

This occurred after a town hall For Alaska GOP Nominee Joe Miller. What was said AT the town hall was equally disturbing. The blog, Immoral Majority out of Alaska reported: It looks like this particular Tea Party nominee outdid NY Gubernatorial nominee. Carl Paladino. Paladino as you may recall, threatened to 'take out' a reporter himself.

This is how they will run this nation. As much as I have railed against the media for not reporting news, this crop of extremist candidates have disdain for any reporting at all. Every single one of these nominees have made the claim that they were treated unfairly by the press when pressed on the issues, and many of them have stopped talking to the press as a result. They do not want to be held accountable for anything they do and say, and they certainly don't seem to want the voting public to make an informed decision in the voting booth. They just want a vote based on anger for 'the other guy'.

Last August, the Tea Party went to many town hall meetings, disrupted, yelled and screamed all under the guise of the First Amendment and claiming freedom of speech. Now we have a reporter who shows up at a town hall meeting of a Republican nominee -- on public property and is handcuffed and detained by private security. This is how they want to run the nation, friends. The country they want to take back -- the freedoms they claim are only for a few-- and I don't think it is you and I.

It's NOT ok to handcuff and detain a citizen for asking a question -- NOT in this country. It doesn't matter if that person is a journalist or not. ANY nominee who thinks this is ok, should not be allowed anywhere near public office, serving the public. The Miller campaign released a statement following the incident. Instead of apologizing, he justified the actions. He saw nothing wrong with what he did. There is no remorse whatsoever,

I pray that this is a true wake up call for the media to get back to doing it's job and not be bullied or intimidated by these lunatics that want the keys to the mad house. I pray that this is a wake up call for every citizen in the nation.

I hope people finally understand that elections matter.

Wake up America. they aren't making what they would do a secret at all.

and
Raine


Update: The video and audio isn't really wonderful, but this is the first visual account that seems to have surfaced regarding what happened. It may put a damper of the Miller campaigns claim that the reporter was out of control.