[American Quilter]

Thank you, jveritas, for this excellent thread. Thanks too to SWB for posting a link to it on the Rush thread this morning.

There are excellent posts throughout the thread--one that I especially like is by MEGoody: Patriotic citizens will take into account the consequences of exercising their right to criticize. Unpatriotic citizens don't care about the consequences, especially to others.

I think that is a key element of the definition of giving aid and comfort to our enemies.

I think another key element is that a patriotic citizen will be careful to be truthful, to develop arguments based on facts, evidence, and logic, and to avoid confusing fact and opinion. This requires considerable intellectual and emotional self-discipline and maturity.

[American Quilter]

On a historical note, the great General Robert E. Lee wrote after the civil war that he knew after Gettysburg that the South could not prevail militarily. However, seeing the rising tide of anti-war, anti-Lincoln sentiment in the North, he decided to hang on for nearly two more years, hoping that Lincoln would be voted out in 1864 and replaced by a president who would be willing to negotiate a treaty rather than fighting on to victory.

General Lee certainly derived aid and comfort from those in the North who railed against the war without regard for the consequences of their speech on others.