Dick Cheney is scheduled to be the commencement speaker at Brigham Young University in Utah. Brigham Young Democrats had received permission to conduct a three hour protest Wednesday. Only, they were not allowed to speak. The university limited their protest to sitting on the sidewalk and carrying signs.

The protest, attended by hundreds of students, proceeded more or less one would expect, until the end.

NPR left. The local TV news cameras left. The newspaper reporters packed their things and left. And the only people around to document anything were students and our film crew. Our cameras kept rolling to witness what happened next.

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As soon as 1:00 hit and the time for free speech expired, after an impromptu performance of the Star Spangled Banner by the BYU Democrats, men from BYU dressed in suits and sunglasses with Secret Service-style earpieces roughly rounded up all of the signage and banners. "You'll be able to use it all again. We're just going to keep it for you. So you don't carry it around campus, we'll take it to a safe place until the next designated protest."

It was like Daddy deciding that the kids had had enough play time and was taking their toys away.

Who knew free speech has a time limit -- or that it prohibits speaking?