What would you consider to be similiar "patriotic dissent" within the United States? Not being smart or anything; I know you have not really been one to attack protesters like some on your side of the spectrum, but I was just kind of curious what you'd have to say about that.
And bravo for bringing up this issue. Too many of our "allies" are drifting away from Democracy, even as we try to promote it.
Well patriotic dissent takes more of an abstract sense in a legitimate democracy. The anti-war protestors in this country aren't facing the same kind of opposition that Alaa is. They are free to march down the sidewalk on Main Street (which they did today), and protest the war all they want.
There are lines though. Lines of taste. Protesters who say things like "I hope Bush dies," and say other things that attack people in the armed forces are in very poor taste. Thankfully, that usually makes those kinds of protestors a net-negative for their cause.
Do not think I don't think protesters are stupid though. I think most of their energy is ineffective, misplaced, worn out, and a good number are just crackpots. However, they have a right to be crackpots. I will heckle when apropos.
I agree that there is a breed of radical protesters who harm their cause, but to call most protesters "stupid" kind of goes against your praise presented in this post. What would you have them do to bring about change other than protest? Sure, they can work on a campaign or run for office, but let's face it, not everyone is cut out for that sort of thing. Not to mention one person in office cannot change things. Protests have brought about social change in our nation in the past; do you think they cannot do the same today? How are our protesters any less patriotic for exercizing the very rights upon which this nation is founded?
Honestly, I'm not trying to lecture or be "holier-than-though." I'm just trying to wrap my head around your thinking.
Where did I say they were acting in a way unpatriotic, except on the margins?
You didn't, but to call them "stupid" for speaking out against their government and working for change isn't that far off as far as the insults go.
It isn't so much what they do that makes them stupid in my mind, it is the message they get across, and the rationale.
Comparing Bush to Hitler or calling him a war criminal, "No blood for Oil," etc., are the kind of messages that they try to ge across, and actually believe.
They have the privelage of doing so, but that doesn't mean I have to agree with it.
Commenting by HaloScan
