There's only one small difference between a traitor and a freedom fighter: Victory.
George Washington, Benjamin Franklin and all of the other Founding Fathers we learned about growing up were heroes. They put their lives on the line to create the country we have today.
But they were also traitors to the British crown, and they were regarded as such overseas.
This is something to keep in perspective in today's America. The country has a long way to go before a call to revolution would be appropriate, but now, more than ever, we have to keep certain things in perspective. One of those is the First Amendment.
In a survey conducted in 2002 by the Freedom Forum, 49 percent of the people polled said the First Amendment goes too far in the rights it guarantees. That attitude shows in the public's reaction to high-profile dissenters.
Did anyone watch the Dixie Chicks interview Thursday night?
Anyone with their celebrity should expect the kind of criticism to which they have been subjected. As the saying goes, a person with no enemies has no friends. And certainly, the general public has the right to boycott the Dixie Chicks' music as they have.
But seriously ... death threats? Were death threats really necessary? Some people got so riled up over a stupid, off-the-cuff comment critical of the President of the United States, that they have threatened Natalie Maines' life.
Why do such a thing? What a ridiculous, knee-jerk reaction.
These are the same people who, instead of challenging themselves when another point of view comes their way, push the mute button on the television.
These are the same people who refuse to ask questions like the following:
How (specifically) has Iraq been aiding al-Qaida?
Where is Osama bin Laden?
Where are the weapons of mass destruction? (President Bush actually said Thursday that we may never find them.)
If we need to give the government time to find the WMDs, then why couldn't our government give more time to the U.N. weapons inspectors?
Questions can be asked of the other side, too. If anti-war activists are against war, why must they spend all of their time complaining about Bush?
It's not about politics, though. It's about questioning authority, the way our founders did. Questioning and opposing the government in the face of adversity is one of the most American things you can do.
Don't be swayed by those who would silence you. Don't ever be satisfied to go along with the status quo. Speak out. Speak freely. Say something new.
No one wants to hear the same thing over and over again.
Write to Jon at jcseidel@bsu.edu
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