Stand Up and Take It Like an American (Sometimes you pay a price for your beliefs) PEGGY NOONAN

opinionjournal ^ | 11/29/2002 | PEGGY NOONAN

[TLBSHOW]

Stand Up and Take It Like an American In a free society, sometimes you pay a price for your beliefs.

1. The continuance of the new patriotism which is marked not by a tinny boastfulness but by an intellectually and emotionally experienced fidelity to and respect for the founding ideas, documents and assumptions which have guided us since we declared our independence from the mother country 226 years ago.

[Terriergal]

Good post!

[Badray]

"I watched Star Wars #1 last night, must be why I keep thinking of "the dark side"."

And the bar scene still reminds me of Congress in session.

[nicmarlo]

You know what I most like about all this ensuing debate over Daschle's comments against Rush and "Rush wannabees?" The eclectic mixture of intelligent responses Daschole's idiocy is receiving: from black conservatives to white women, telling their personal stories about their own struggles, which makes Daschole look that much more ridiculous. Truly incredible.

[A_perfect_lady]

What a fantastic essay. I was just telling someone by private mail that in the university where I am confined o-: a woman was complaining that while picketing against the upcoming invasion of Iraq, she was subjected to "psychological violence" (people yelling at her as they drove by.) She is willing to criminalize by calling it "violence" because she really believes she has the Constitutional right to say whatever she feels, and no one has a right to disagree in a manner that upsets her. I told her to suck it up and she stomped away, furious. It was fun.

[firewalk]

bump

[firewalk]

Forgot to include you in my reply to Nic. Hope your Thanksgiving was great TLB....

[johnny7]

I think of “Goodfella's” when they're all together at that big table in the restaurant.

They eat for free and when asked to pay their tab they kick the sh_t out of the owner and laugh.

[MeekOneGOP]

Thanks for the post and the pingaroo !!

Well Anna, and Tom, I have never written of this or even spoken of it, but let me tell you something.

My political philosophy is conservative. I am pro-life. I live in New York City, surrounded by modern people. They are mostly left-wing, they are all pro-choice, many of them passionately and even furiously so. I have written books saying Ronald Reagan is a great man and Hillary Clinton is a bad woman. I know something about being a target, and I know something about hate mail. I have received not hundreds but thousands of the most personal and obscene denunciations; I have received death threats; I have been threatened with blackmail; I have been informed that I do not deserve to live; I have received a three page typed double spaced letter with perfect grammar and syntax the first sentence of which was "Dr. Ms Noonan, Let me explain to you why you are a . . ." and here I cannot suggest the word used. But damned if he didn't make a good case. I used to hear regularly from a woman who'd tell me she hopes I have a brain hemorrhage.

I have never talked about this because I would consider speaking of it both self-pitying and self-aggrandizing. But there's another reason. I'm a grownup. I know you pay a price for the stands you take.

It's a disputatious world. Rocks get thrown. I could make myself safer by changing my views, but why would I abandon what I think is true so that people I think are wrong will like me? That doesn't make sense. So I stand where I stand and pay. And you know what? Too bad. Tough. That's life. Nothing is free. If you hold a controversial position you will draw controversy and its cousins: denunciation, dislike, etc. It's the price you pay. And unlike Tom Daschle, I pay it without a taxpayer-funded security team to keep me safe.

[MeekOneGOP]

Man, lil' tommy da$$hole is catchin' holy he** over these stupid remarks isn't he? Well deserved too !

[winner3000]

I love the way Peggy, just like most conservatives, makes her point in a classy, logical, and non-"shrill" manner. No name calling, just the facts!

[anniegetyourgun]

I am fascinated by the anaylsis you both offered here. It's excellent. I must inject, however, the question of whether or not one might still come up with that 'toxic liberal thought' in one generation within a heartland fatherless family on welfare.

While there appears to be a preponderance of libs in big cities, I would submit that the same could be achieved in rural areas if one could shred the family and create government dependence. In fact, I think we're beginning to see some of that in suburban areas. The latter seems to be tipping liberal in many places as we see increased familial breakdown, coupled with urban liberals moving into the suburbs to 'get away from it all'.....

You're thoughts?

[nicmarlo]

Yes, he sure is. I think it's quite amazing, actually. As I already mentioned, the electic responses are incredible, all. Well written intelligent responses....from black conservatives to white women (and then there's been Rush's responses. Hysterical, some; especially the "Daschole Talk Show" parody. Have you heard that? I laugh every time I hear it. Very funny).

[anniegetyourgun]

anaylsis = analysis....where's my spell-checker....

[MeekOneGOP]

The "da$$hole talk show?" How'd I miss that?

Got a link?

[Pokey78]

You have been added.

[Terriergal]

I was gonna comment on this:

Let's pick on adults. Let's pick on Tom Daschle

There's a straight line there....

[MeekOneGOP]

But I did hear 'bout clintoon's possible show called.....

[anniegetyourgun]

That's white trash ..... even if he does call himself the first black president.....

[Forgiven_Sinner]

The great question, as Diana Trilling once said, is how high a price you'll pay, how much you'll suffer. That's a question we all answer every day by the way we live our lives.

This is the reason I have hope in our fight to roll back Roe v. Wade. The pro-abortion group is not willing to die for their beliefs. The pro life group is. It was the same with slavery in the Civil war, although they were willing to die for their beliefs. Pro life will win in the end.

By the way, God is both pro-life and pro-choice: "I set before you life and death, blessing and cursing. Choose life, that it may be well with you and you children after you." Dueteronomy 29, I think. I'm quoting from memory.

[MeekOneGOP]

even if he does call himself the first black president.....

THE BLACK LANDMARK THE CLINTON LIEBRARY RAZED