A lot has been said about the war in Iraq and our country's new foreign policy of preemption. And while many problems exist with this sort of foreign policy, the greatest danger to democracy is the insistence that by questioning the Bush administration’s behavior on domestic or foreign affairs is somehow un-patriotic.
Indeed I submit to you that questioning and scrutinizing our government’s policies is one of the most American acts we as citizens can perform, and to suggest otherwise is one of the most amazingly irresponsible, ignorant, and disrespectful assertions one could arrogantly put forth. The idea that we as citizens should blithely bow to the sovereign and all-knowing wisdom of the state is so anti-American that it deserves no further words of explanation.
You must continue to speak out and not only bring forth objections; you must be ready to present credible alternatives. When you concentrate too heavily on the former, you are too easily dismissed as someone with a laundry list of complaints, and when you fail to satisfy the requirements of the latter, you leave the influence in the hands of those with convincing arguments, no matter how misguided they may be, and the entire debate suffers.
This One Generation is the voice of change and hope that is needed in the world with the courage and will to bring that vision to life.
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