Protesting Run Amok

If there's one thing I love about my country, it's the fact that I have the freedom to say more or less anything I want and I can do it without fear of someone coming and putting the kaibosh on what I'm attemting to get across. I mean I can write endless blogs on how "Star Wars" is far superior to "Star Trek" and launch tirades and cheaply made home movies and still no one can come and stop me from doing it. Well... within reason. It's the one thing that truly sets our country apart from lots of others but sometimes it's a good thing to rein it in a little. I mean there are times when we protesters go a little too far.

There are times when I understand why people opposed to my particular point of view may not agree with me and I do believe that they have the right to argue against me and have their time to say what they feel. Sure it may get me all riled up and upset but that doesn't mean that I have to sit there and listen to what they are saying or even agree with it. Over the past two weeks there have been a lot of political conventions going on and both major parties held there conventions a week apart. Both tried to give the candidates the opportunity to properly introduce themselves and at least some of their ideas to the American public and the world at large though even then there were protesters who chose those moments to enter into the fray as well.

I just wish sometimes people would get their understanding of the issues a bit straighter. Now that doesn't mean that I am implying that they should all adopt one point of view and then be done with it. No; that would basically imply a state of facism that preaches 'my way or the highway'. No; I'm talking about protesting properly or countering protests properly. For example, the picture I've included with today's blog speaks volume about the lengths to which people go to have their say no matter how foolish their say may make them appear. Now at first glance the woman's sign seems to make sense but when you take a closer look you realize that she's forgotten something in the word "official". Not only that, but she's emphasized the point. You want to make English the official language of the United States? Fine. Learn to spell before you show your ignorance and errors on a protest poster.

What about the people who come to conventions as several did yesterday during Senator McCain's speech? I certainly believe they have the right to come out and protest Senator McCain but I believe he also deserves some respect and decorum during his speech. One may not agree with everything he and his party have done in the past but that doesn't mean we disrespect them in such a flagrant way so as to rally more people to the opposite stance. What I mean is that though the group of protesters at the speech last night probably got the message across that they don't agree with Senator McCain, they probably ended up polarizing more people who are currently on the fence. I'm sure the spin doctors are going to emphasize the point that these were 'Liberal Democratic Zealots' who have stooped to name-calling and rude protests at an otherwise civilized convention.

That may be but what I feel is that the counter protests that most of the audience made were also misguided. One of the protesters held up a sign that stated "You can't win an occupation" and the otherside read "McCain votes against vets". Now the first statement is clearly speaking out against the war in Iraq while the second is against McCain himself. Rather than cheering on Senator McCain in a show of solidarity against these protests, the crowd began chanting "USA! USA!" So does that mean that the crowd found the protesters statements to be un-American? How can that be? He has the right to say what he wants and it isn't showing his non-patriotism... in fact it is emphasizing it.

The last few years have seen a decline in the maturity of both the protesters and protestees. We've slowly been devolving into children with arguements and counter-arguements that sometimes seem to be from the playground in nursery school rather than at political conventions. But for all this, these conventions and protests are useless if you don't get out and do the one thing that can make a difference and that's to vote. If you don't like the way government is doing things or the way one candidate stands on an issue, vote for the one you do believe in. I respect the statement which Senator McCain made last night in which he called on all Americans to be the change. Nearly paraphrasing Gandhi when he stated that we should be the change we wish to see. If you want to change the government more directly than by just voting, run for office, state your views. But do it maturely and answer the thing your protesting seriously and thoughtfully. Otherwise you just come of looking "dum".