"Protest For Me, But Not For Thee"

I’ve always maintained that whenever people argue about something, the quickest way to find out who won the argument was to see who called who a Nazi. Those who are unable to argue points based on fact resort to the ad hominem attack. They cannot come up with good counterarguments, so in desperation they demonize their opponents. Given the current public debate over health care reform, I’d say the Democrats are losing the argument.

Madame Speaker has labeled those who disagree with her as “un-American”. Really? I served my country on active duty for 12 years, and in the inactive reserve for another 6, but I disagree with her on damn near everything. Does that make me, in her own words, “un-American”?

For eight years the American people were lectured by the likes of her about the meaning of dissent and patriotism. Folks like her and her ilk said it was “patriotic” to voice dissent against your government. That’s pretty easy to say when you’re not the one in charge. But today, things are different. How different? She’s in charge now, and now that she’s in charge, she doesn’t want to hear the voices of those who disagree with her. It is a case of “protest for me, but not for thee.” There is a right to freedom of speech guaranteed to us by the Constitution. In case she has forgotten, here’s what the First Amendment says:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

As a public servant of our Republic, she swore an oath to uphold the Constitution. The commissioning oath I took is identical to the oath she took. Her oath took her to Washington DC, where she has made it her mission in life to handcuff those who are trying to protect this country from those who would take away her right of “patriotic” dissent.

Senior citizens who are concerned about the fate of Medicare attend town hall meetings armed only with their words. They are assembling peacefully. They are petitioning their government for redress of their grievances. They feel they are not being listened to by their elected representatives. Why is it “un-American” for these people to exercise their constitutional rights? Does the Bill of Rights apply only to Democratic politicians?

Let me make real easy for you, Madame Speaker, and I'll use small words so you won't misunderstand the meaning behind them. The right of free speech [and by extension the freedom to dissent] is the right of ALL Americans regardless of race, color, creed, or political party. You cannot pick and choose which rights guaranteed by our Constitution you choose to honor, respect, and protect. If you can't take the heat from people who disagree with you, it's time you found another line of work.