CEDAR FALLS - A relatively small incident during John McCain's appearance Sunday is taking on a life of its own, fueled by interpretations of what happened and distributed at the speed of light on the Internet.

The Republicans' candidate for president appeared in the West Gym at the University of Northern Iowa, and 2,000 people attended. Most apparently were interested in hearing what McCain had to say.

A few in the crowd were not, and despite claims by one organizer, planned to disrupt McCain's address.

Security officials, directed by McCain staffers, short-circuited the effort, however. Officers escorted about a dozen people out of the arena, according to Milissa Wright, associate director of UNI police.

"McCain's people asked us to remove the people that they chose, and that is what university police did," Wright said.

One of them, Lara Elborno of Iowa City, had a seat in a balcony behind McCain's stage. She later told a reporter with the Iowa State Daily, the student newspaper, she had no intention to create a scene and that no plans for such a disruption were formulated in advance.

"That article is absolutely accurate," Elborno told the Courier Thursday.

Bloggers and some Web sites are advancing a similar refrain: McCain's campaign summarily ejected people guilty of nothing more than being young.

But evidence and statements by other participants show the protest was organized. An e-mail asking for like-minded activists to participate - written by Justin Feinstein and distributed by Frank Cordaro - apparently circulated widely four days before McCain's appearance.

Cordaro is co-founder of the Des Moines Catholic Worker Community, a loosely organized group that promotes human rights and nonviolence. According to a biography available online, Cordaro has spent more than three years in jails and prisons for "public protests and acts of nonviolent civil disobedience."

Feinstein and Elborno are friends, both said, and their names appear frequently in various blogs and traditional news sources online connected to protests in other communities.

"It's important that you realize this will be your LAST CHANCE to peacefully protest before this landmark election," Feinstein wrote in his e-mail.

"Our protest will be very positive, upbeat and focused on spreading the message of peace and non-violence. We have a dozen on-board so far and need another dozen to make this work," Feinstein added.

"Please contact either me or Lara ASAP if you are interested."

Feinstein confirmed the effort to organize.

"I was with a group of people who were planning on staging a protest against the war in Iraq and also the scare tactics and fear mongering that have been going on," he said.

Anne Johnson of Cedar Falls, an outspoken critic of the Bush administration and vocal opponent to the war in Iraq, met the group at Cup of Joe in Cedar Falls prior to McCain's rally. She also sat with some from the group in the balcony.

"The young people who had intended to do a banner drop were somehow recognized by security," Johnson wrote in an e-mail to the Courier.

Elborno confirmed the meeting on Main Street in Cedar Falls, but stopped short of calling it a planning session.

"Basically, the friends that I came with. We have a method of protesting at these rallies," she said.

In fact, Feinstein in September posted two videos online outlining their tactics. The game plans are titled "How to protest at a McCain and Palin rally! (part 1) and (part 2)."

"Go under cover. This is the only way they are going to let you in," a voice counsels on the videos, advising protesters to hide signs under their clothes or use banners as makeshift skirts. Participants should also get close to members of the press but split into groups. By dividing, protesters can create "rolling disruptions" at timed intervals during the candidates' speeches.

"And once the event's over, make sure to e-mail the local media a press release describing your protest and what you said. The more coverage the better," the voice adds.

Don Wood, chairman of the Republicans of Black Hawk County, said he heard rumors of organized protests.

"I'm not surprised," he said.

Wood volunteered at the UNI rally and helped greet guests and dignitaries for the McCain camp. He also attended an event recently in Cedar Rapids that featured McCain and his running mate.

Elborno, Feinstein and others also turned out to see the Republican candidates, erupting in three waves of protest.

An account of that event is posted on www.myBarackObama.com, a community blog attached to Obama's official Web site. The site, however, specifically notes "My.BarackObama represents the opinions of community members and in no way should be interpreted as endorsed or approved by the campaign."

According to the blog, Feinstein "screamed out, 'John McCain, you never learn! We lost in 'Nam! We lost in Iraq! You can never win in war!'" Feinstein and Elborno were among the 12 protesters eventually removed from the venue in Cedar Rapids, according to the blog.

Wood said he was aware some people were asked to leave West Gym, but he was not sympathetic.

"If you are a protester and want to interrupt an event and you want to get your message out and yell out loud, then I say that type of protest denies the freedom of speech to others," Wood said.

"They can stand outside, but I don't think they should interfere with someone else's rally," he added. "If they want to have a speaker, then do it."

Wright, associate director of UNI police, said McCain's staffers were within their rights to exclude people from West Gym.

"They rented that facility. Renting that facility makes it a private event," Wright said.

Elborno said she was not creating a disturbance and was ejected for "potential protesting." She added the individuals selected were victims of "profiling."

"The only thing that generally united these people was that they were generally young people," she said.

Elborno said she did not know everyone removed and in fact, two people taken out claimed to be Republicans. One, a young woman, was crying.

"I have no idea who she is. She left in such a hurry because she was so emotional," she said.

Wright emphatically denied the charge.

"They most definitely were not profiled. The McCain staff knew exactly who these people were," she said.

Wright said the information included names and identities.

"How they identified everyone that we removed I don't know," she said.

Wright conceded, however, it was possible some people asked to leave were not protesters. If so, Wright described the situation as "unfortunate."

Alex Hammer, a student at UNI, said he, his girlfriend and a friend were asked to leave but did not intend to protest.

"I was completely unaware of any of that going on," he said.

Elborno alleges the actions violated the rights of those involved, a position that Wood, chairman of the Republicans of Black Hawk County, does not accept.

"I think that's a pretty weak and shallow argument," Wood said.

Chris Taylor, a spokesman for the McCain campaign, took a more philosophical view on the organized.

"I'm sorry to say it's part of the political sphere," Taylor said. "Any election ends up facing protesters, not that it's any fun or they look forward to it."

Contact Dennis Magee

at (319) 291-1451 or

dennis.magee@wcfcourier.com.