A questionable case for patriotic silence
Friday, October 22, 2004
The Bush administration and its allies want war critics to keep silent, which would be a truly unpatriotic act.
The Roanoke Times
A headline in this newspaper Thursday asked readers a most provocative question: "Is public criticism of war treason or patriotism?"
The accompanying Associated Press analysis presented both sides of that argument, albeit superficially: The Bush administration and its allies say Americans who speak out against the conduct of the Iraq war are helping the enemy and hurting troop morale, and thus should keep silent. Critics say the appeal for patriotic silence is a political ploy that maligns the exercise of basic democratic rights and responsibilities. The article ended, most unsatisfyingly, with no resolution. Americans might reach one on their own, however, by pondering other questions likely to be asked of them later, possibly by their children, if the "treason" position should carry the debate, and the answer to those questions.
When you learned President Bush listened to ideologues and political handlers instead of experts, and that we had insufficient troops with insufficient equipment and training in Iraq, why didn't you say anything?
We didn't want to be unpatriotic.
When you learned the Bush administration's naive assumptions of an easy task had let Iraq fall into its ongoing violence and chaos, why didn't you say anything?
We didn't want to be unpatriotic.
When you learned the administration grossly understated security and other problems as they arose in Iraq, why didn't you say anything?
We didn't want to be unpatriotic.
When hundreds of U.S. troops and tens of thousands of Iraqi civilians died unnecessarily as a result of all the previous blunders, why didn't you say anything?
We didn't want to be unpatriotic.
When little improved in the administration's handling of the war in 18 months, why didn't you say anything?
We didn't want to be unpatriotic.
When Bush and his allies cynically said criticism of the war effort would hurt troop morale - as though the troops lacked the brains and backbone to evaluate it for themselves, and most critics didn't simply want smarter, more sensible leadership - why didn't you say anything?
We didn't want to be unpatriotic.
If patriotism means silence in the face of administrative incompetence, maybe America actually needs less patriotism.
But if patriotism means enough love of country always to hold its leaders accountable for their actions, then America needs more.
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