Letter to the editor

American dissent is democratic

In Wednesday’s article, “Protest stresses student
activism” (News, Feb. 9), David Lazar made some disappointing
comments that demonstrate he understands little about democracy and
supports it only when it is politically favorable or makes a good
sound byte.

In response to the massive student protest of Iraq, Lazar
responded, “The way I see things, people gave the finger to
tyranny by voting. Today, people are giving the finger to
democracy.” The last time I checked, one of the great things
about this democracy is the right to assemble peacefully and
express opinions. These protesters don’t hate democracy,
they’re a living example of it!

The Republicans’ uncanny ability to oversimplify
absolutely everything is just mind-boggling. The GOP needs to
understand that just because you oppose the war does not mean you
don’t support our troops. Similarly, if you protest our
presence in Iraq, that does not mean you hate democracy.

I close this tirade by asking Republicans everywhere one
question: What is this Republican crusade against American dissent?
Ever since Vietnam, Republicans have stopped at nothing but to
paint all dissenters as unpatriotic. Today, they tell us these
people embolden the terrorist enemy by disagreeing or even
questioning the government.

Whether it’s reshaping the House Ethics Committee to
protect some questionable party leaders, filling the cabinet with
Bush loyalists, or calling Democrats obstructionists for having
confirmation hearings for those loyalists, it seems to me that it
is the Republican Party that gives the biggest finger to
democracy.

Jordan Parker Second-year, English