In his inaugural address of 1932, President Roosevelt taught Americans that “we have nothing to fear but fear itself.” On Sept. 11, 2001, all too many Americans forgot that, especially Utahns.
In a poll conducted for The Salt Lake Tribune by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research, 625 registered Utah voters were asked if they thought anti-war protesters such as Cindy Sheehan and Rocky Anderson play an important role in the national debate over U.S. policy in Iraq or aid the enemies of the United States.
The results of the poll looked like this: 45 percent of people believed that anti-war protesters are aiding the enemies of the U.S.; 27 percent believed anti-war protesters play an important role in the national debate over U.S. policy in Iraq, and 28 percent said they were unsure.
The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution guarantees Americans five rights that 45 percent of Utahns must have forgotten:
1. Freedom of religion
2. Freedom of speech
3. Freedom of the press
4. The right to peaceably assemble
5. The right to petition the government for a redress of grievances
Let’s focus on the freedoms anti-war protesters exercised on Wednesday: No. 2 and No. 4. To put it simply, these rights allow protesters the right to say what they want to concerning the war in the company of like-minded people, as long as they do so peacefully.
I would appreciate it if a member of the 45 percent who believe that anti-war protesters are aiding the U.S. enemies could explain how those who oppose the war would be aiding those enemies by exercising the rights guaranteed to them by the U.S. Constitution. It seems to me they would be offering more aid to the United States’ enemies by surrendering the freedoms guaranteed to them in our Constitution.
I tend to agree more with the 27 percent that see protesting as an important role in furthering debate. If we all ran along with whatever our leaders told us was the right thing, do you think we’d end up in a place that was beneficial for all of us? I doubt it.
If you are against protesting, you should probably pick up a history book and look at what it has done for America. Would racial and gender equality be possible without the brave souls who took to the streets and said enough was enough? Or would we have been better off leaving it to the big-wigs in Washington? I hope the answer is obvious to you.
We have the pleasure or displeasure of living in Utah-the reddest of all states. Love or hate its politics, we still have to remember that it’s our right to tell our leaders we are pissed off or happy with them. I hope the 45 percent realizes that the right to gather and speak our minds is in no way aiding the United States’ enemies, but, rather, strengthening this country.
Don’t let fear paralyze you into thinking that questioning our leaders is a form of treachery. In the end, all we really have to fear is fear, not each other.
