The Muzzling Mob

 

          There’s a whale of a dark cultural tide sweeping the nation these days. 

The widespread lunacy immediately following the terrorist attacks seems to have tapered off somewhat.  However, there definitely remains a solid sort of protective gamesmanship on the part of simpleminded folks to validate their arguments in support of the United States government and its actions.  Such people seek to label others as “un-American” if they take issue with the way the government is handling its implied obligation to exact revenge on those who attacked us.

            If a person suggests that America has possibly done a few things wrong, many times you will hear from a staunch defender, “America is the best country in the world, and if you have a problem with that, you can go somewhere else!”  This trite blather is often the end-all/be-all of all counter-arguments, the last resort, the final say.  And it has tremendous backing in the population – some stranger in Jersey City actually turned around and said that to us for no reason whatsoever as we were watching the fireworks explode over the East River this July 4th.  “Yeah,” we replied.

            Actor Ed Asner recently joined up with many other artists to denounce the war on terrorism, or a “war without limit,” as they called it, in a document titled “Not in Our Name.”  It was deeply critical of how we rushed to war, how we detained thousands without affording them rights.  An excerpt:

 

We must take the highest officers of the land seriously when they talk of a war that will last a generation and when they speak of a new domestic order. We are confronting a new openly imperial policy towards the world and a domestic policy that manufactures and manipulates fear to curtail rights.

 

Because of this document, he and fellow petitioners drew fire from conservatives such as Steve Malzberg, accusing him of espousing anti-American sentiments, suggesting he should sit back, shut up, and support the war.

            Politically Incorrect host Bill Maher, in the week following the terrorist attack, was very outspoken about decadent American lifestyles and attitudes toward the rest of the world and how that likely prompted the attacks.  Outside pressure on ABC from the muzzling mob regarding his comments is most likely the reason why he lost his show.

            Musician George Michael, who isn’t even American, is also being shelled by U.S. talking heads for a recent song entitled “Shoot the Dog.”  In this song, he criticizes British Prime Minister Tony Blair for being the “dog” of President Bush – just rolling over to the wishes of the U.S. government without question.

            The fallacy that so many seem to ignore lies in equating the government with America.  America is the greatest form of government ever to exist, hands-down.  Nothing even comes close to the brilliance of our system of government.  The brilliance of its creation was in realizing that humans are, in their most primal form, tyrannical, cruel, selfish, and power-hungry.  There needed to be a system that would save people from themselves.  And thus, we have the “checks and balances” on every aspect of our government to ensure that nobody ever acquires a position of too much power.  We have the right to criticize our leaders, the right to petition them for change, and the right to replace them, if it becomes absolutely necessary.

Those who are critical of the war and government actions against domestic detainees are not suggesting that there’s something wrong with the principles and ideals that make America the greatest social contract ever drawn up in the history of mankind.  Rather the reverse – they are the most American among any of us, because they have the courage to use the rights that they possess.  They are critical of the people currently in power, the ones who decide for the rest of us where we go as a nation – and the same people that are potentially capable of unspeakable tyranny and cruelty, and so they must be watched always.  

Critics of the current government simply don’t like the direction we’re going, and their intention is certainly not to lead a bunch of people with torches to the National Archives to set all of the great cornerstone U.S. documents on fire.  To even suggest that they have forfeited their rights to be Americans by stepping out of line with the rest of the nation is ridiculous, childish, and the product of a weak mind.

            The right to dissent is the most important one of all.  It is the very first amendment to the constitution.  It seems the only champions of free speech in recent history have been artists trying to get away with titillating acts of obscene defiance, such as saying naughty words on television or showing a boob on NYPD Blue.  Precious little attention is given to the real meaning of free speech, which too often falls victim to the silencing blows of the American hive mentality.

            This is one of the most important times in American history, where we must choose to steer this gigantic battleship in one direction or another.  And everyone has the right to have a hand on the helm. There must be a more adult approach to differing opinions, for our brethren cannot continue to be silenced in such embarrassingly simplistic ways. 

 

Link to “Not in Our Name”: http://www.notinourname.net/statement.html