What I'm getting at is this: the police had reason to believe that this guy was a threat to the vice president, because it is obviously impossible to express disagreement or dissent without some act of violence.

Too bad Cheney wasn't cuffed when he said it.

What I can't figure out was why the SS sent some National Guard guy to do their work for them.  Short staffed on that detail, perhaps?

Fact is, this sort of thing is totally outside the jurisdiction of a Guardsman, who wasn't deputized for that sort of "investigative" work.  The detention of the good Doctor was totally unlawful, as far as I can see, and a misuse of the Guard, and an abuse of authority by the SS supervisor.

Really disgusting that this is happening here -- the US has become the world's most powerful banana republic.

Its how they get their info. I learned at a young 17 when read my miranda rights in my driveway for a crime that happened to the next door appliance store. Come to find out 5$ was stolen from their petty cash, most likely an inside job. That did not prevent an officer from showing up on my door step during a graduation half day to read me my rights. I remember being pissed, telling him my rights, and then he looked at me like I was getting too uppity, so I piped down a little, gave yes/no answers, then told him to leave my property. He intimidated my younger brother before I had got home, then hid around the block. Right when he was leaving my mom pulled up. He got an earful in the street as he blocked traffic and was forced to hear my mom give him a 'new one'.

I don't really think that is what their motives were.  And, the fact that they released him in fairly short order, suggests that they were really trying to intimidate him based on his speech, or didn't know that it isn't against the law to insult the Vice President.  But, that would be their strongest argument.

For a person to be legally "Under Arrest" a judge must be present, charges must be profered by a district attorney or Grand Jury, and the arrested person must be provided counsel if he so choses

legally and technically, a person is not actually under arrest until these steps have been completed

"detainment" is the physical act of being taken into custody and held in a jail or other holding facility until the detainee is either arrested or released

under Unites States law, a person can be detained up to 72 hours or more without ever being charged with a crime ( ie Arrested). There is also a "reasonable Time" clause which can be interpreted either as shortening the 72 hour limit or extending it, based upon reasonable expectation of court room availability

being detained aint being arrested, and being arrested aint being detained. And both can happen at the same time

Frontpage story on dkos right now. No more right to due process. Americans can be detained without trial just like the 10,000 Iraqis and God knows how many others.