"When Thomas Jefferson wrote that 'dissent is the highest form of patriotism,' he indicated our duty as patriotic Americans is not to keep obediently silent when the policies of our elected officials damage our country and its standing in the world. . . .
"We cannot, out of concern for 'politeness' or 'appropriateness,' abdicate our responsibility to speak out when we believe our nation's values have been severely undermined. If we keep silent, we submit to a dangerous national culture of obedience, which denigrates dissenters as treasonous and unpatriotic. This slavish deference to authority corrupts the soul, transforms our moral beliefs and freedom of conscience into objects for manipulation by those in power, and makes us weak, thoughtless and fearful.
"As President Eisenhower, who commanded Allied forces in Europe during World War II, advised, 'May we never confuse honest dissent for disloyal subversion.'"
-Mayor Rocky Anderson of Salt Lake City, Utah, 2006
Tettering on the edge = The Verge
1 comment:
Great post. I loved it. One of the things that is often forgoten is the fact that the US was formed by great men who dissented from GB and took arms to defend protect their rights by giving a few lefts. I've think we've lost the spirit of honest dissent like Ike says. Now it seems to conform to party lines. Boo and two thumbs down on that. Both the donkey and the elephants are guilty its a flaw in the two party system but hey what do you do, can't break trAdtiON, TRAdition.
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