These disruptions are occurring because opponents are afraid not just of differing views — but of the facts themselves. Drowning out opposing views is simply un-American. Drowning out the facts is how we failed at this task for decades.
Since when is it an "un-American" to attack pending public policy?
America was the first legitimate experiment because for the first time, it was founded on the crux of a new principle: liberty. Liberty is the natural state of man to be free, dissenting from toxic ideas, and moving towards healthier ones. War, inflation, slavery, taxation, business cycles and regulation, are all products of the State, not of free people, free minds and free markets. Patriotism should be defined not as heraldry to the American government, but as a perpetual opposition to any variety of Statist expansion into the lives of free peoples. Government has not changed, but the people have. Where is the anti-war movement now? Where did it go? Did it pass underneath the phalanxes of "hope" and "change"? What is change? The voices of the fallen have been drowned out by the sheepish blabber of "hope" and "change".
It was not un-American to attack the prior executive administration and Congress, and it isn't un-American to attack this one. In fact, it would be un-American to abstain from doing so. When Nancy Pelosi and Steny Hoyer write that to dissent is "un-American", send them and the rest of the crony parasites leeching off the American people and on the payroll of the elitist corporofascist scumbags, to St. Petersburg, or San Francisco.
Stay free America, more than just the world is watching.
Hey... are we reading the same op-ed because the title is "'Un-American' attacks can't derail health care debate"... It has nothing to do with the "dissent" word you keep tossing around. I actually wrote a blog for cbs news (internship) on that very same op-ed and i honestly think you are confusing the facts here. I don't personally care for Pelosi but you put that quote "Drowning out opposing views is simply un-American."...which does not mean disagreeing, quite the contrary... 'drowning out the disagreements', yet you go on to state that she said "dissents were un-american".. that is a bit irresponsible for an intelligent blogger.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure why you chose to take the piece so backwards because she is speaking about the protesters at town hall who shout over every speech given. I mean have you seen the videos? They keep screaming and chanting "no obama care" and things of that nature meanwhile people attending the meetings are trying to ask questions about health care and the congressmen trying to answer them, both getting drowned out by shouts. I think you need to re-read the piece. Because the media always gets blamed for distorting the truth but, no offense, i truly believe it's second parties that take an article out of context and consider it as fact.
I mean come on she says "hanging in effigy one Democratic member of Congress in Maryland and protesters holding a sign displaying a tombstone with the name of another congressman in Texas, where protesters also shouted "Just say no!" drowning out those who wanted to hold a substantive discussion." There was also a swastika spray-painted on congressman's sign with his name on it in GA. These are the people she is speaking out against, not the mere opposition.
Plus, in keeping with fact, i think it's necessary to give some credit to steny hoyer, who co-wrote the piece because in all of your refernces (the blog and the fb status) state just pelosi.
I guess you can see that i'm defending the media... but hopefully you'll see your mistake in analyzing this particular piece as well.
Take care,
Anna.
never mind the hoyer part.. overlooked the reference because i already knew what op-ed you were speaking about. my mistake.
ReplyDelete-Anna
I agree, I trailed off into a bit of a mindless emotional rant.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I think partially what I was upset about was the fact that a lot of the media is downplaying the debate of the opposition, and miscasting the fact most people don't want more government intrusions in American life.
I thank you for your comments, I don't often think through when I post comments on here as much as I would do a paper or an article. I'll have think critically when posting these blogs.
The reason they are not covering enough of the opposition is because all polls show that majority of Americans support the public option and support obama's plan, not republican plans. I believe the numbers are over 60 percent in fact. To ask the media to cover people who simply shout anti-obama slogans and saying things like "i dont want america to turn into russia" is something that the world needs less of, if you ask me. that's not the opposition, that's pure ignorance. There is a strong opposition and I for one, am very well aware of it but the fact remains that more than half of Americans support a government-run option and that is the reason behind the media's angle on this.
ReplyDeleteI realize it's difficult for those personally opposed to government-run plan to accept polls showing majority support... but it is in fact the case. Plus, i think everyone needs to breathe a little bit and realize that a government OPTION is most definitely not the same as universal health care.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/21/health/policy/21poll.html - link to the nyt poll conducted
-Anna.
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ReplyDeleteI agree with the point of Sir John David's piece. JD's main concern that the essence of democracy, dissent, is continuing its disappearance is a completely accurate observation and I agree with him 100%. Opposition takes many forms, and unfortunately it takes the form of stupidity. People who believes that Obama isn't a US citizen need to seriously get a clue and get in check with reality. However, it is imperative to observe opposition and respect it. If we do not oppose anything the government throws at us, then we would all stand idly as drones in a world where only a few politicians truly rule the land. Instead, we need to regain control and speak out. We NEED people to stand up against the government to put them in check and change the way WE want them to, not the way they want. That is freedom at its finest.
ReplyDelete"Although I do not agree with what you have to say, I will defend to the death your right to say it"