What Constitutes "Un-American-ism"?

It's funny. I remember a time where when anyone spoke out against the war in Iraq or the quest for the Weapons of Mass Destruction (side note: why when I write that do I suddenly get reminded of "Monty Python and the Holy Grail") in said country, those people were labeled un-American. When anyone questioned the rationale or the reason behind why the United States entered into the war when the mission in Afghanistan and the primary motivation for the invasion there (capturing Osama Bin Laden... mastermind behind 9/11) was incomplete, these people were accused of 'siding with the terrorists'. It seemed that a few years ago the supporters of Bush (i.e., the Republican Party) jumped up and cried foul and made accusations of anti-American sentiment against anyone who didn't agree with them. Now that the shoe is on the other foot, it's a whole different story.

In all honesty, the way Congress and party representatives (and I level this at both parties rather equally) are behaving these days, it makes nursery school lunchrooms seem more mature by comparison. Now that the Healthcare Reform debate is going full force there are attempts by the Democrats to get the word out about why people should support the bill, or at the very least they should come to public forums to learn more about it. The problem is that there is a lot of dis-information out there. When people call Obama a socialist there will be a bunch of people who agree with the statement but what I often wonder is how many of these people actually know what a socialist is or what he believes. Similarly, when someone like Sarah Palin (why in the Hell does the media still deign necessary to cover her anymore anyways... she's Jane Six-Pack now) makes statements that claim that she and her down syndrome child (and political symbol) Trig would be put before 'death panels' and not given proper medical care, her devout followers will proceed to 'jump of the bridge' with her.

I'm not saying that we should live in a society where you can't disagree with what someone is saying or proposing but how is it possible that we can't come to terms with anything anymore? With Judge Sotomayor the debate was over whether or not she, as a judge, would be able to render judgement without personal bias. Excuse me but what human being in existance would be able to do that? Similarly, if you don't agree with something being proposed then bring facts to the table. Speaking in jingoistic terms or making unfounded accusations laced with 'you betcha's' and 'gotchas' isn't going to do a bit of good to anyone or any debate. The last few years have shown me that the overall maturity level of our country is on a downward spiral. It's not unrecoverable but it makes me weep for the future.

Do we actually live in a country where if you can't agree you resort to name-calling? I was told that this was an ineffective means of settling an argument when I was in pre-school so do we need to have this discussion again with the public as a whole? If you don't agree with the government or with your leaders for what they are doing then come out and generate the facts that show why you don't agree. Don't come out and make statements that someone is un-American but then again don't also stoke the fires of discord by not providing an alternative suggestion or even providing an understanding of why you disagree. Most of us who completed high school or college know that if you are asked a question you generally won't get good marks for simply answering yes or no. You have to justify and quantify your response. If you don't agree then explain why; don't jump up and down like a little monkey and complain.