Quehubo007 Re: <<"I've seen several interviews on the news channels recently with peacenik college students protesting the upcoming military action."
I am not sure I will be able to control myself if I am confronted with some un-American behavior and/or just some sheer displays of stupidity.>>
Q007, I have seen this sentiment expressed here and elsewhere and I'm not trying to single out one person with this post, but I do have a different view. I can see where a person could call this behavior naive, foolish, stupid, demoralizing, ill advised, or any number of things that indicated disagreement with the thinking and/or message of the protestors. I don't think, however, that it should be termed "un-American."
The most "American" thing that exists is the spectacle of American citizens openly and freely expressing unpopular opinions that the government and the majority of its citizens may despise, without government reprisal and with the full protection of the law from the outrage of other citizens. No other nation in history has matched our passion as a nation for protecting that right and I, for one, would fight and die to protect it. It doesn't matter to me if they express anti-war sentiments, neo-nazi sentiments or if they are atheistic, devil worshiping, anti-freedom, vegetarian steroid freaks with strange hair, they all have the right, in this country, to communicate any message they want, peacefully and without reprisal, as long as they are obeying the laws. This is true even if they are too stupid to understand how rare and valuable that right is and how lucky they are to possess it as American citizens.
Sometime when the dust settles and the anger subsides, they may not seem so foolish. I am, personally, a person who initially tends to want to have his revenge medium rare and often, but that may not be the best way. I imagine that when Ghandi began his many years of suffering to show India and then Pakistan and the world a better way to deal with hatred and violence, many were just as angry at him as many of us are at the minority who are now counseling a pacifistic response. It goes against our nature to allow others to harm those we care about and to threaten us without taking strong and immediate action to end the threat and to secure revenge. In the long run who can say which way is best? A good argument could be made on the other side. It wouldn't be my choice, but it is a choice and those who express it have right to voice it in this great country our fathers and their fathers built for us.
I think that when we fight terrorists or other nations to preserve the safety of our loved ones and our right to live in freedom, we should never lose sight of what we are fighting for. I have to remind myself of this often when people disagree with things I hold close to me. It's not easy but I think it's the right thing to do, after all, we have that same right to express a contrary view in whatever lawful forum we choose and no matter how repugnant that view might be to those who disagree. Ed |
