If a tree falls in the forest and there's no one there to hear it, does it make a sound?

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As of late, authorities at political events have taken to creating special areas for protesters, peaceful or otherwise, severely curtailing free speech and blunting, even eliminating any show of dissent.

At the Democratic National Convention in Denver these were dubbed "Freedom Cages" (An oxymoron if ever there was one).

Closer to home... During the National Governor's Association meeting held in Boise during Governor Kempthorne's reign, special "Free Speech Zones" were set up to keep the peaceful protesters out of sight of the media and visiting dignitaries.

This very same tactic was employed successfully by Communist China during the recent Beijing Olympics.