I am reading this late at night - pardon the drive by comment. Ordinarily I would agree with you (re unpatriotic speech) but it seemed different to me re: the Iraq war. I think protesting war is OK as long as it is speech directed to those who make such decisions. But some anti-war efforts seemed, IMHO, to be aimed at demoralizing our troops and our country. If I say “Stop! What we are doing here is wrong!” it doesn’t affect the prosecution of the war but if I claim our soldiers are baby killers (I know - extreme example) and cause them to wonder if they will be treated like returning Vietnam vets were treated (abused) or if I try to undermine military leaders in the eyes of those they command or the eyes of the enemy (embolden them) - then that seems different then protest that tries to say ‘see all of us in the streets? all across the country we stopped what we were doing and gather here to chant our views because we felt letters were being ignored, phone calls are being ignored. We who stand in the streets are an open letter to those in the capitol who aren’t listening or who are underestimating the strength of our convictions’ Another example - if I disagree with my boss, I do not try to defeat his decisions. Obama and Co. think that they are my boss and that I should not try to defeat their decisions - the tea party or health care protesters seem to be trying to ‘explain’ that THEY are the boss of public servants.
I apologize for being so verbose - you get SOME kind of award if you were patient enough to read all that - I just don’t know what it is yet (*starts rummaging through clutter on desk -looking for something reward-worthy*)
Not verbose! (Compared to me)
No, I think you’ve drawn quite a valid distinction. (eg; “Stop the War” vs “baby killers”) At least as far as name-calling goes. I maintain that name calling isn’t going to win this for us. Maybe we need “conservative affirmative action”. We need a partial free pass on some of our ideas instead of being shut out like pariahs.
But I am turning over in my mind how the current situation compares. Unsuccessfully, so far. I think most of us on this forum believe the health plan “IS” morally repugnant...not just anti-Constitutional, anti-freedom. We’re just not as free to blather the most vile insults our minds can come up with. I am just happy the other side has commandeered “Nazis” with Pelosi’s “swastika” remark. Good on ‘em. May they bathe in it. I am most heartened by the thugs at the townhall meetings. I think those images have the most conversion power of anything I’ve seen to date.