It is unacceptable to think?
Mr. Bush,
How dare you, sir!
I don't know what country you think you're the president of, but the First Amendment to the Constitution of my country states:
Congress shall make no law...abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
I think that also applies to freedom of thought.
For readers who are unaware, Mr. Bush held a testy and impatient news conference today. Why was he testy and impatient? Well, Mr. Bush often gets testy and impatient whenever he thinks his motives or methods are being challenged. To be fair, I think I would get testy and impatient, too, if I my motives or methods were constantly being challenged. The difference, of course, is that Mr. Bush is supposed to be the leader of our country, the protector of our freedom. In particular, that includes the freedom to question our leader's motives or methods.
As George Orwell wrote, "If liberty means anything at all it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear."
In response to recent questions about the U.S. possibly torturing terrorist suspects by waterboarding, Mr. Bush said, "It's unacceptable to think that there's any kind of comparison between the behavior of the United States of America and the action of Islamic extremists who kill innocent women and children to achieve an objective."
Excuse me, but, since when is it unacceptable to think anything at all in this country?
I think that the victims of the Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuse scandal (along with any other prisoners that might have been waterboarded recently) would consider the behavior of the United States of America pretty extreme. Additionally, need I remind you, sir, that innocent women and children have, in fact, died in order to achieve your objectives? Oh, I'm sure their deaths were accidental...merely collateral damage in the name of your war on terror. But I think their families might consider the behavior of the United States of America a bit extreme, too.
The point is, Mr. Bush, that I dare you to stop me from thinking anything I wish.
For example, I dare you to stop me from thinking that you are the most dangerous president in history. The Patriot Act, NSA wire tapping, general fear mongering. Fear is powerful weapon, Mr. Bush. I think you use fear in an attempt to control the American people. In fact, I think that you are just as effective at using fear against the American people as your terrorists are.
I also dare you to stop me from thinking that you and your arrogant foreign policy are just as dangerous to the American people as Mr. bin Laden and his foreign policy. Rightly or wrongly, bin Laden and other extremists are pissed. And instead of figuring out why they're pissed, you simply poke at them like a hive of angry bees and make unqualified declarations that they hate us because of our freedom. I dare you to stop me from thinking that it is you, sir, who embolden the terrorists by your asinine statements and brash actions.
Perhaps some readers might think that "we are at war", and that I "fail to understand how important it is to kill the terrorists over there instead of here." To those readers, I say the following:
- I understand we are at war.
- I question who instigated this war, but it doesn't really matter who instigated it.
- This war will either:
- go on forever, or
- end in peace.
- In the mean time, we should vigorously defend ourselves against criminal acts and acts of war initiated against our country
- At the same time, our efforts to defend ourselves should not infringe on our freedoms, nor instill fear in hearts of our citizens.
The following quote, often attributed to Benjamin Franklin, summarizes my thoughts on the matter quite well:
They that would give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.
In other words, I would rather die in a horrific act of terrorism than surrender my liberty to the government out of fear.
Finally, some readers might think that my words have been disrespectful to the office of the President. To them I would say, "No. I regard the office of the President with the utmost respect. I simply don't respect the idiot who currently occupies that office."
I was active duty for almost thirteen years, sir. I took an oath to defend the Constitution from all enemies, foreign and domestic. I think you, Mr. Bush, are the most notorious domestic enemy of the Constitution that this country has ever endured.
And I dare you to try to stop me from thinking that, too.
