"Ah, but I was so much older then, I'm younger than that now."
My Boog Pages
Friday, June 14
Everyone's Got One, And They All Stink
Wil Wheaton posted this link, a letter protesting some of the current administration's policies, on his site today, without comment (wisely, in my opinion). I made a couple of comments there, and I'd like to expand on them here.
Many people would call this letter un-American, but I just think it's stupid. The signers are essentially saying, "It wasn't me! I didn't have anything to do with it!" The tone of the letter is going to offend pretty much everyone who isn't on their side already, so its only purpose is to distance themselves from the government's actions. Phrases like "stark new measures of repression" will seem overblown to just about everyone, even people like me who don't always agree with current policy.
The letter then goes on to compare the World Trade Center attacks to the Gulf War, the invasion of Panama, and even Vietnam. While I laughed at much of the letter, this part offended me. It's true that a lot went on in Vietnam that no American is proud of, but those other fights had clear military goals - and achieved them. To compare them to an attack designed solely to kill civilians is really ridiculous.
Certain language in this article also suggests that America has overnight turned into a police state, with the president warning people to watch what they say, etc. This is bullshit. Has anyone gotten in trouble for something they said? Perhaps they have been shouted down by others who don't share their beliefs, but that's part of America, too. Everyone gets their say. I just read a quote in an article by Joe Klein over at Slate. Supposedly Churchill (Roosevelt?) was asked the difference between his country and the Soviet Union. He answered, "In my country, when your doorbell rings at six in the morning, you can be sure it's just the milkman." That's still true today.
Furthermore, silly histrionics like these obscure real mistakes that I think the Bush administration is making. Jose Padilla, for example. Padilla, the "dirty bomber", is an American citizen like any other. Yet he's being denied his right to due process; he's been transferred to military custody and it's not clear when (or if) charges will be filed, much less when his case will be tried. Similarly, many Afghans whose only crime was to loyally fight for their government (the Taliban) are today held without charges. Al-Queda operatives who plotted to kill Americans are criminals; soldiers who fought to save their government are not.
I believe it's every American's duty to think about the actions of his government and form his own conclusions. If you approve, fine. If you think the government is running the Constitution through a paper shredder, that's also fine. But think about it. Don't just resort to familiar knee-jerk charges that tell people who share your views what they already know and tells those who oppose them nothing.
