Is Dissent Still Patriotic?

17. December 2008 by Satire V.

One of the more foolish sentiments declared by the left during the last administration under President Bush was “Dissent is Patriotic”.

The idea in and of itself is not particularly foolish; it was the thought process, or more accurately the lack thereof, behind it.

There is much hypocrisy in the statement, rooted in the beliefs of those who make it. Those most likely to use it and stick it on the backs of their cars are those least interested in dissent. I sought out discussion with some of these people, and they had no interest in any opinion other than their own. They attempt to characterize any ideas they don’t agree with as hate speech, thus justifying in their minds that the speaker should be censored. Typically, it is Conservatives that are far more tolerant of the speech of others.

Most of the media establishment voices the same ideas as the “dissenters”. There is no shortage of time, venue, or validation from old media and Hollywood of their views.  During the Democrat convention in Denver, I personally observed leftist protesters violating the freedoms of others by blocking streets without permits, while they were allowed to freely exercise their rights to assembly and free speech. The government of Colorado and Denver went to great lengths to ensure the freedoms of those who wanted to be heard.  Some of these poor muted souls even attempted to attack a crew from Fox News.  So, with the assistance of the government,  the collusion of the media, and while physically assaulting a legitimate news organization because it doesn’t report everything from a leftist perspective, the left has still come to believe that they have been silenced. They seem to have forgotten a basic tenet of this Country; that we are each equally free to express our ideas.  That doesn’t mean that the government has to change to suit whomever shouts the loudest.

This freedom means that if, for example, I want to say that the actions of John Murtha, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, Hillary Clinton, or Barack Obama lead me to question their patriotism, then that is my right.  My doubts don’t silence them, or any other person who speaks out against the defense of our Country.   I know these people don’t have the best interest of the Country at heart, and are therefore by definition not Patriots, but still they are free to speak.

Now the Democrats and others on the left are talking again about the “fairness doctrine.”. This doctrine has as its goal, the silencing of one side of the political debate. Liberals have a long history of trying to shout down or silence those who disagree with them. Although the left has gone to extreme measures to demonize and criminalize dissent, the Right will continue to express their dissatisfaction with the socialist ideas of the current government.

The left has achieved historic gains in the legislature while installing a socialist as our head of state. Given this situation, it should be expected that the minority will take issue with the upcoming administration and wish to speak out.  This opposition has every right to do so, but will the liberals defend this right?

So, the question for the left now is:

Is dissent still patriotic?

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