Where is the right to oppose? as written 7/13/2009

Dissent is the greatest tool we carry when dealing with the
encroachment of the government. Albeit disagreeing with the war,
fiscal policies, or policies in general. One could even say differing
in views from someone else is a right that is becoming even more
unpopular.

After the Iraq War began, people were said to be unpatriotic if they
had a negative view of the war, now you are unpatriotic if you do not
want the policies of President Obama to succeed, Un-American even.

My point of view is not often well received and even mocked because it
differs from someone of a different ideological persuasion. I thought
in America we were still allowed to have open discussion and
intelligent debate over issues. But to my discouragement, I was wrong
and in fact nurturing a view that is different from some is
unacceptable.

Some may forget, it was dissent from what was viewed as a tyrannical
government that led to the formation of this great country.

Beginning after the inauguration, a historic day, citizens began to
rise-up and protest the proposed spending and policies of President
Barack Obama. Some found it abhorrent that people would come out
against the ever-so popular President. They even dismissed the
protests on April 15, 2009 where only about 250,000 people came out in
protest but during the the Bush administration, every anti-war protest
got prime-time media coverage. On July 4, over 37,000 Texans gathered
in the DFW area to once again protest those same policies that are
viewed as a stranglehold on the economy and the taxpayer.

The beauty in our political process and even in today’s 24-hour news
cycle is that both sides can always present their view and spread it
to other sources in a matter of minutes.

But I am not to say that this is a left vs. right problem but an
overall issue with both sides who readily claim victim when the other
side is in power.

It is not unpatriotic to protest the war, outrageous spending either
with the Bush administration or the current Obama administration, the
Federal Reserve, abortion, or even the use of taxpayer dollars in ways
you disagree with, however, I do feel that it is unpatriotic to not
hold both sides to the same standards.

The purpose of the media is to present the news of the day and often
hold those involved accountable. We can’t complain about President
Barack Obama’s use of taxpayer dollars to go to New York for date
night without talking about the trips taken by President George Bush
to Crawford, TX. There is a double-standard in place and it must be
removed to bring fairness and unbiased presentation back to the news.

The weathering of certain rights must stop but the coddling of
President Obama and blatant endorsement of his policies in the media
need to be measured and alterations made. It should be about the
issues and presenting them to the people and not making personal
attacks and advancing an agenda.

As written in The Shorthorn