The Duty of Dissent

Dissent is more than an American right, it is a duty. America has risen to its prominent place in the world in a relatively short time because of our freedom to allow for various positions and ideas. The founders of this country built this right into the canon law. Any efforts to stop or otherwise interfere with discourse or dissent, and not dissent itself, is what is unpatriotic. "My country, right or wrong" is not patriotism. Theodore Roosevelt said "To announce that there must be no criticism of the president... is morally treasonable to the American public." Those Americans who protest the war in Iraq are every bit as American as those who support the war. One's political position, whether left, right, or center, is irrelevent. They all have, by virtue of the sacrifices of those who came before them, the ability to speak their minds openly. The proposal from one side to interfere with the other's right to speak their collective minds via infiltration, or disruption is for the lack of a better word, un-American. Whichever group receives orders or encouragement to do something like this would do right to consider the motives of whomever is doing the encouraging. The people in power (and I'm not talking about a political party) in any country know the only way to stay in power is to keep the masses fighting amongst themselves while they pursue their own interests. Right, left, Democrats, Republicans, conservatives, liberals, right-wing, left-wing, communists, imperialists, all of these labels are merely wedges driven between people to draw attention away from the real evil that exists in the world. It's not Osama bin Laden, nor is it George W. Bush. These are merely faces, fronts for something else, for which we all need to look deeper. Americans, and citizens of the world need to consider this. Look around you. Your neighbors are not the enemy. Even if you aren't on good terms with them, if their house was burning down, you would help them because you know you may need them to do the same for you. Labels are meaningless. Above it all, we are human beings. To paraphrase Sting, we have the same biology, regardless of ideology.

In America, we need to realize what 9/11 means, regardless of "who did it." We have all been attacked, but we are made to believe that we are each other's enemy. The divisive political climate of this country only serves the power structure that we cannot see. I for one, believe that anyone who wants to say anything should not be shy about doing so. It is only through talking about issues freely that we can come to any mutual understanding. It is not patriotic to allow your thoughts and actions to be dictated for you. Freedom is not free. Its price is its exercise.

Yes, there are things we don't like to hear, or even want to hear, but as J.S. Mill said: "We can never be sure that the opinion we are endeavoring to stifle is a false opinion; and if we were sure, stifling it would be an evil still."