Posted 6/02/2004 08:06:00 PM by Douglas

When was the last time anyone has sought Pat Boone's advice on United States foreign policy? It looks like the wait may be over. Was Toby Keith and the Dixie Chix unavailable for comment? I think this sort of lunacy can be shelved where it belongs: (Crooners, washed-up. See also, nuts). But there are two things of this vitriolic diatribe that are noteworthy.

America has lost credibility with Muslims and the Arab world internationally, perhaps forever; and every American life is in far greater danger from terrorist reprisal, no matter who and where we are!

What kind of soccer-mom veneration of self esteem is this? The worst part of the invasion, the prison scandal, and the media fallout that followed is the loss of America's credibility? Uh, I think maybe the body count might take precedent over America's credibility.

Freedom of the press is a cherished commodity, guaranteed by our Constitution. But freedoms, if they are to be maintained and to have the original meaning, must be treated with grave responsibility and restraint.

Disagreeing with the government is fundamentally American, as "guaranteed by our Constitution." And just like "hate speech" and plain-old tin-foil hat wearing craziness, everyone's opinion is protected by the same First Amendment. But flash back to the Clinton Administration. Every time Clinton talked about a new gun law, these folks thought their doors were going to be kicked in within the hour, their guns confiscated, and dogs murdered.

Now, flash forward to the present Republican Administration, these same people that cried of government tyranny are telling us to sit back, relax, let Bush 43 run the show, and to treat our First Amendment Right of free speech with "restraint" when it comes to criticizing the administration.

Consistency, folks.