Dissent and Patriotism

On the morning of August 15, I awoke to the news that some despicable human being had run down 800 crosses bearing the names of our war dead at Camp Casey. I thought that I should do something, but being 1900 miles away from Crawford, here in Massachusetts, has rather limited my choices. I felt that the least I could do was to print the “America Stands With Cindy” banner from her website, and tape it to the back of my car.

In the two weeks that I have been displaying it, I’ve received no response from either side of the aisle. Until Friday.

Friday afternoon, an anonymous person taped a right-wing screed to my car that was so full of distortions, lies, religious intolerance, and personal attacks on Cindy Sheehan, that I heard Rush Limbaugh’s on voice in my head as I read it. And on Sunday, a young tough felt it was the height of courage to yell “Cindy’s a Disgrace!” at me as I drove by with my wife and child in the car.

To the young man, I’d like to ask him, “When do you start boot camp?” I can only infer by your outrage, that you are a person of strong moral character, willing to lay your own life on the line for the courage of your convictions.

And to the anonymous poster, I’d like to ask you, “Have you read the First Amendment recently?” The right of free speech, and the right of peaceable assembly to protest, were held in such high regard by the Founding Fathers that they gave these rights to us first, above all others.

There is no higher form of patriotism than dissent. In fact, without dissent, we would all be singing “God Save The Queen” and bowing before her Majesty.