COLUMN: Rocky’s war protest not unpatriotic
A few weeks ago Bush confirmed what most of us already knew: America will not leave Iraq during his administration. And while facts just don’t register with some it’s clear to the rest of us that the Bush justified his invasion and occupation of Iraq with falsified intelligence and swiftly shifting rationalizations. Is it any surprise then that only 35% of Americans, an all time low, support the Iraqi War according to a recent CNN poll?
The dissent has even found ground in Utah, the most conservative of the States according to a recent Time Magazine article. For those of you who weren’t there, imagine thousands of women, men and children rallying for peace and honesty from our government. High school kids, punks, hippies, mothers of soldiers, Vietnam Veterans, the gays, the Hispanics, everyone from every class, race and imaginable background, yes, even white middle class Republican Mormons calling for peace in the time of an unjust war.
Rocky has been accused of being an ungracious host who didn’t represent his constituents. Well, he represents the liberal city of Salt Lake City. And, what else is to be expected from Utah’s most outspoken and liberal politician?
“Blind faith in bad leaders is not patriotism,” Rocky said. “A patriot does not tell people who are intensely concerned about their country to just sit down and be quiet; to refrain from speaking out in the name of politeness or for the sake of being a good host.”
What was the Bush supporters’ response to the Salt Lake City’s protest? Well our Attorney General, Mark Shurtleff said “I have to support the right of Rocky to be stupid. But I will not support his right to hurt people. What he is doing is hurting those people whose loved ones gave the ultimate sacrifice.”
Excuse me? This is the epitome of Republican spinning techniques. It doesn’t matter how much empirical evidence Rocky Anderson places before them-in the minds of conservatives like Shurtleff, Anderson is a stupid people-hurter. Case closed.
Which is wrong; Rocky Anderson and last Wednesday’s demonstrators want this administration to stop the lies, death and war.
Who is hurt by Anderson’s opinions? He favors their safe return. Those who selflessly died did so for a war that should never have been begun. Hussein had no WMD’s or connections to 9/11. Who knew being informed could make you so “stupid?”
Hussein was not a nice guy; he killed lots of people and it’s not news to anybody. But how many Americans and how many Iraqis have been hurt, will be hurt or will give “the ultimate sacrifice” before we can bring an end to Bush’s criminal war? The thousands of American and coalition troops who have died in Iraq will soon outnumber those who died as a result of the unrelated events of 9/11-where’s the outrage? Some conservative estimates place Iraqi civilian casualties at 42,000. Hey even Bush ball-parked Iraqi casualties at or around 30,000 last December. How many casualties and lies is Rocky Anderson responsible for?
Criticizers and watchful eyes are not enemies of the state. As Republican President Theodore Roosevelt said “[The President] should be supported or opposed exactly to the degree which is warranted by his good conduct or bad conduct, his efficiency or inefficiency in rendering loyal, able and disinterested service to the nation as a whole.”
You do not have to support the war or Bush to support our troops or to be a patriot. Next week we’ll have a quiz on Liberal Ethics; study.
Class dismissed.
Matthew Blackham is a junior majoring in sociology. His liberal column appears each Wednesday