Fundamentals of Opposition

My favorite excerpt:

“Martin added that he was pleased the student changed his mind and opted not to burn the flag.

‘I’m happy that after talking to university officials and realising how many people are against flag-burning, that he thought better of it,’ Mart…in said.

‘This is what a flagship university, and Free Speech Alley, is all about – good civil discourse, dialogue between all parties and discussions of diverse opinions. This is how students learn from each other and grow as people.

‘I also thought today brought out a wonderful display of patriotism among the students conducting the counter-protest.’”

In other words: I’m glad an angry mob bullied this kid into not expressing himself - how about that free speech! How dare anyone challenge the practices of this country?  There are soldiers dying!

Yes, soldiers are dying to defend our freedoms, and I’m very thankful for their service and their sacrifice, but that’s not a reason to suppress criticism of governmental policies.  So many people in this country instinctively reject and suppress criticism of our government, and I find this to be sad.  Our government and our country carry out atrocities that are so rarely recognized, and speaking out against the mistreatment of suspected terrorists is an honorable and courageous act.  Rednecks in Louisiana may have just about thrown a riot on your account, Ben Haas, but I commend you and wish I had the courage to do such a thing myself.