LETTER: Free speech is American

Editor,

Friday’s “Peace rally hardly peaceful” letter contained many extreme opinions regarding anti-American behavior. I would like to focus on two that demand further discussion.

The author of the letter says we must be supportive of our president and that anti-war and anti-Bush comments should be taken as anti-American slanders. I stongly disagree.

I offer that a person’s freedom to state an opinion against something they do not believe in, whether it is a war or a president, is one of America’s greatest attributes. So, how can taking such democratic actions be considered anti-American? They are simply points made against particular apects of the country, which does not mean America as a whole. America is more than just a war or a president, so we can still consider ourselves American, even if we do not support all of its associated components.

On the other hand, if we were to support all things associated with America, as is suggested by Friday’s letter, we would be forfeiting all of our freedom to choose between what is right and wrong. And forfeiting this freedom would be anti-American. For example, if we do not believe a president or his actions, we do not have to support him at anytime or under any circumstances, because that is our freedom to do so.

To put it more poignantly, blind acceptance and support of our nation’s leader under any situation reduces them to a totalitarian who is unaccountable for his actions, or in other words, the opposite of a democratically elected president. Is this the kind of leadership Americans should support? According to Friday’s letter, it is. Furthermore if disagreeing with any of our leaders’ actions constitues anti-American behavior, then I believe that the majority of us are to be considered anti-American.

Regardless of a person’s opinion on the war, the president, or any element of America, they should acknowledge a broader perspective, before concluding that someone or something is anti-American.

Jay P. Zarnetske