march 25, 2003
Daddy Don Puts In His Two Cents
So my old man could only read my website for so long before he had to chip in. Here is what he had to say.

-- Citizen D
Since I "unofficially fund" this site, I figured it was time for me to put in my two cents on the war.  I am old enough to live through the Vietnam era.  Many of my friends were drafted and went over to make friends with the native folks over there.  It was then that I realized war is hell!  Thankful none of my close friends lost their life but I sure got to hear some hairy stories.  You may be able to tell by now, I did not go to Vietnam.  I signed up for the National Guard when in high school.
 
Now on to what I am really writing this about.  It is the war protesters.  I would defend their right to protest and their right to say anything they want (as long as they do not give secrets to the enemy).  But once they start injuring bystanders and tearing up personal and public property, they are no longer protesters......they are a mob and should be treated as such.  There have been many peaceful protests throughout the world which I have no problem with at all.  But when those individuals try to push their belief on me, maybe not physically but by their actions.  When they think their opinion is the only one and anyone who supports our troops is wrong, I think they have given up some of their rights.  The fact is the conflict in Iraq has started!  I heard an interview they did with one of the San Francisco protesters and the quote was "Doesn't the President see our protest, why doesn't he stop the war?".   Do you think they are really that naive?  The decisions have been made, we may not agree with them but I really don't think anything we will say or do will change those decisions, so we should just support the effort and hope it is over quickly and our soldiers (father, brother, spouses) are back home soon!
"Beware the leader who bangs the drums of war in order
to whip the citizenry into a patriotic fervor, for
patriotism is indeed a double-edged sword. It both
emboldens the blood, just as it narrows the mind. And
when the drums of war have reached a fever pitch and
the blood boils with hate and the mind has closed, the
leader will have no need in seizing the rights of the
citizenry. Rather, the citizenry, infused with fear
and blinded by patriotism, will offer up all of their
rights unto the leader and gladly so. How do I know?
For this is what I have done. And I am Caesar."
(Julius Caesar)
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