In America, we make much of the freedom of speech that is listed in the first article of the Bill of Rights. We, of course, should be actuely aware that this right is limited in some ways. We aren't allowed to say things that could endanger others (like shouting "FIRE!" in a theater), and we're not allowed to defame or slander a person's charater falsely. In the realm of copyright, we aren't allowed to steal others' words and claim them as our own. We aren't allowed to say or display certain material to underage children. There are a few other limitations on speech that are pretty common sense, having basically to do with avoiding infringement on the equal rights of other people.
The thing that truly upsets me more than anything else is the limits that many people seem to want to place on people in a de facto manner. Call it "political correctness." Call it "patriotism." Whatever you call it, I consider it ugly and harmful.
As a "for instance," let's look at the 2004 Democratic presidential candidate, John Kerry. One of the things that got people steamed up when they talked about Kerry is the record of his actions after he returned from Vietnam. When he came back from his tour of duty with the Navy, he joined that anti-war movement. As I understand it, he publicly discarded his medals (or at least the ribbons... depending on who you ask and in what context) and he ended up testifying to Congress on the matter, telling them and the nation about war crimes committed by some US soldiers.
Now, here's where things get interesting to me. Even to this day, there are many people who think this man deserves to be condemned for his actions. I have to ask "why?"
Even in the midst of that war, America supposedly remained a democracy. The Constitution was not suspended or repealed, so far as I heard. Every American should have been free to speak their mind about the war. That's the first part. John Kerry and every other American had a central, essential right to disagree with their government on the war. In my opinion, it was a war America would not have gotten into at all if it hadn't been for the fact that American industry had an economic interest in keeping de facto control over that nation. The dictatorship that ran South Vietnam was not one that any lover of liberty would have wept for, and I believe that the concept of American support for such a thing was a legitimate subject for debate.
And the same thing holds true today. America has entered into a war that many people think should not have happened, at least not the way it did. There are a lot of issues that should have been discussed both beforehand and now. Many people disagree with this idea. They're concerned about the morale of the military. I can understand that. Vietnam ended up leading to many awful mistakes, not the least of which was the terrible way that American civilians treated soldiers as they returned home. Only time will tell if this problem will be repeated, but I think it's safe to say it won't.
But does questioning the judgement of the politicians really lead to a problem of morale in the military? I'm guessing not. I know lots of soldiers who had low opinions of the "pols" that lead their government. In this respect, they are like every employee of any business that is not in "management." No, the problems of Vietnam had more to do with the draft, draft dodging and civilian disapproval of those who went to that war rather than scamper off to Mexico or Canada. I also think that the treatment of soldiers had a lot to do with Congressional testimony about American war crimes and the news of the massacre at Mai Lai. For whatever reason, much of that issue was igonored by the Army and only a few went to prison. Anti-war activists made efforts to paint all soldiers with the war crimes brush, and sadly, a lot of civilians bought into it.
But this relates to the other big issue. Is America so immature that they really don't want to know what really happens in war? Are we, as a Jack Nicholson movie character said, unable to "handle the truth"? I hope that isn't the case.
If something terrible happens, like Mai Lai or Abu Ghraib, the tax payers have a need to know what is being done with their tax money. They need to know both what our soldiers are doing (with or without approval from above) and what the military authorities are doing to correct such problems. These things do not need or deserve to be kept out of sight. The coffins of dead soldiers should not be kept away from public sight. All Americans need to have a chance to see what they are supporting when they support a war.
Support the soldiers? Certainly... if there was any group of people who need sympathy and support, it's a group of young Americans who signed up for varying reasons, then ended up being swept into a war that the people of America are ambivalent about. They aren't responsible, and everyone knows that. The thing is that those who truly are are responsible do not deserve automatic, unquestioning support. I can't help wondering if a lot of this "support the troops" business is part of an effort to distract Americans from the question of whether we should support the leaders who led us to this mess. Are our leaders hiding out behind the soldiers who are being wounded and killed in Iraq and Afghanistan?
But the main issue in all this is one that is very important to me. The people who are supposed to hold the real power in a democracy are the people. It's an ideal, true. One that may never come to true realization. In order to make decisions that are for the best, the people who make decisions need to have as much reliable information as possible, and they need to be dedicated to "handling the truth" regardless of what that truth might be. Unpleasant facts about what is done in our name with our money needs to be handled in a mature manner, not swept under the rug in order to maintain a myth about how noble or righteous we are.
But that attitude isn't present in many people. "America -- right or wrong!" You hear that a lot. And a lot of people seem to think that such an attitude is admirable. But to a student of history, this smacks of "Deutschland über alles!" I don't know about what the majority of my fellow citizens think on this, but I for one would want my country, if it were indeed wrong, to get corrected. I still love my country, but I could not in good conscience continue to support it if hope for straightening out would go away completely.