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Apr. 2, 2003 For the entire 1990’s America was at war with the right wing of the political spectrum. In an effort to combat the “good ole’ boy” network that had begun to creep its way back into the fabric of our society after twelve years of a Republican presidency, we the people decided that it was time to relegate the ultra- conservative to the sidelines of American culture. Our biggest weapon in this struggle was none other than “the politically correct way.” This new system made it virtually impossible for people to continue their ignorant ways of racial degradation, superficial discrimination and sexual harassment without severe consequences to the wallet and reputation. Whether you were an appointee to the United States Supreme Court or a corporate executive that didn’t want to hire someone that was disabled, you became subject to this “ultimate weapon” designed to civilize our nation. Unless, of course, your name is Bill Clinton. In that case you were excused from this new code of behavior. Beyond the hypocrisy of that situation, the “politically correct way” was successful in creating non-factors of men like Trent Lott, Newt Gingrich and Bob Packwood. For this I am grateful to the “politically correct way.” Unfortunately, like every weapon, the “politically correct way” has fallen into the wrong hands and created a facet of society in America that is populated by what I like to call the “uber-liberals.” These are the kind folks that press charges against teenage boys for failing to acquire a recorded statement from a girl that it is okay to hold her hand. The uber-liberal is also frequently in favor of special rights - not equal rights - for women, minorities, homosexuals and barnyard animals. Lastly, and currently most prominent, is the uber-liberal protesters that are currently making a name for themselves by vociferously protesting the war in Iraq. While these uber-liberal protester have high- profile support in Hollywood with prominent high school graduates like Janeane Garofalo and Martin Sheen, the greatest concentration of these patriots is on college campuses where young Americans can waste mommy’s and daddy’s money to skip class and protest every possible thing imaginable. Don’t believe me? Try visiting this site, where there is a list of protests for every possible category as well as a corresponding schedule of these demonstrations. What is most bothersome about these uber- liberals is the fact that they appear to be very ignorant. They seem to put in a great deal of effort into their protests, but they don’t seem to understand how to achieve their goals, what kind of damage their current course of action might cause and the effect of similar anti-war movements in the past. I’ll explain. First, we do not live in a democracy. This seems to be a common misconception amongst American citizens and media personalities alike. We live in a republic. This is made abundantly clear in the “Pledge of Allegiance” but I wouldn’t expect any protesters to remember what that is. Thus, they could read the explanation provided by Federalist 10, a document authored by James Madison, the chief architect of our system of government. For those that still don’t understand the difference between the two forms of government after reading that document think of the contrast like this: a democracy is a big town meeting where the moderator puts a resolution up for a vote. Anyone can attend and if there are enough votes to adopt the resolution, it becomes law. A republic, on the other hand, is what we have when we elect politicians to write bills, vote on them and ultimately make laws. Our sole method of controlling these politicians is at the polls. Thus, given this republican form of government, protesting is an inefficient method for achieving one’s policy objectives. Rather, the proper forum to express one’s displeasure is in the voting booths. Unfortunately, the people who seem to be most likely to protest are also least likely to vote. Why is this? Either it is because they don’t understand the distinction that I made between a republic and a democracy, or it is because the protesters are not as interested in making a difference as they are in making noise. Then again, I guess I shouldn’t expect too much consistency from folks who curse President Bush and the military for every civilian death in Iraq, yet seem willing to turn a deaf ear and blind eye to the countless civilian executions at the hands of Saddam Hussein. Furthermore, what the uber-liberal protesters fail to realize is that they are Saddam Hussein’s secret weapon. The longer this war goes on, the more Hussein believes he can use the American anti-war movement to undermine our government. This strategy will ultimately bog down the coalition effort in a war of attrition which will cause countless more deaths for both civilians and military personnel. While this may seem to be against the uber-liberals’ goals, it will certainly add to the options at www.protest.net. Finally, it seems clear that the protest movement is entirely unaware that similar voices of dissent kept America out of World War II just long enough to allow the Nazis to execute 6 million Jews. Should we ignore the lessons of history and allow Hussein to eliminate 6 million Kurds and Shiites? Unfortunately, there isn’t much that can be done about these patriotic protesters. Despite their hatred for all that is America, the 1st amendment provides the right to express oneself and the “baby killer” soldiers protect that right by fighting for the continued vitality of our republic. My solution is this: just as mainstream America forced the ultra- conservative to the fringes of society over the past ten years, let us use the next ten years to do the same to the uber-liberals. Read more from Ian Prior or email: ian_prior@hotmail.com . ------------ Comment on this column in the forum. ------------ |
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