July 4th – Dissent, criticism, pride, guns and freedom

Note: This post is also on Herdwatching.

As I write this it it July 03, 2008. This post is not a long, coherent essay but rather the expression of a number of thoughts that have been swirling for a few weeks… brought to a point by a piece of writing by Chris Satullo over at the Philadelphia Inquirer. Understand me clearly… I agree with the founding fathers about dissent and disagreement. My point is not that Chris should remain quiet.

Disagreement with the government and the course of the nation is the right of every U.S. citizen and so deeply ingrained in our national character that our founders considered it the first thing they had to remind us of. The first amendment grants us the freedom to not only disagree, but to attempt to persuade others to join us in that dissent via our ideas and our reason.

This freedom was considered so critical that to safeguard it the second thing they did was ensure that we had the right to arm ourselves so that we can never be truly silenced, and so that no one could attempt to persuade us by force instead of reason.

I am heartened beyond words that at a time when so many people are screaming loud and long that our rights have been removed the highest court in our nation issued a strong decision supporting that second amendment right to keep and bear arms. They not only supported it, they did so for exactly the right reason – in recognition of the critical role an individually armed populace plays as a check against rampant abuse of power.

I’ll say it again. I consider the right to dissent an essential freedom and a core American value. However that does not mean that all dissent is inherently valuable, or that reflexive dismissal of all that is amazing about this nation is inherently right and good.

We see the same thing happening in the conspiracy community. Since a mark of intelligence is asking questions then they are always at a loss that their penchant for asking stupid questions and ignoring the answers is not considered a sign of intelligence. They confuse the effect (questions) with the cause (intelligence). Dissent and criticism is the same way. Yes, many intelligent people dissent. It is not, however, true that all dissent is the result of intelligence.

To be fair, Chris is better than most. Chris is taking on important issues… I just think he misses the obvious in his analysis. Chris feels that if at any given single moment in time the U.S. isn’t operating perfectly to our ideals that it indicates a catastrophic failure of our nation and those who are part of it.

I disagree.

To me, the pride of the U.S.A. is that we have a system that corrects. We are a nation of humans, lead by humans, dealing with other humans in a complex world. We will make mistakes, we will occasionally loose our way and we will sometimes have to do seem things we are less than thrilled with to survive. Yet we always correct because the core of this nation is self correcting. There is no need for despair and there is no need to run around screaming. The system is in place – all you have to do is use it. Act. Speak. Persuade. Set an example.

Think about what even reading this missive of mine actually means:

• I publish this on a website that grants me instant voice to the vast majority of the places on this earth. No government censor approves it, and there is no delay between my decision to publish it and it’s availability.
• I do this from a house that is protected to a large degree from the random invasion by the government.
• I write this less than 6 feet away from at least one handgun that I could use to defend myself and my freedom if I disagreed with that invasion, were it to happen.
• I will post this to a blog that is covering an election in which the current front runner is a member of a party that in some cases may use it’s new power (if elected) to attempt to try the outgoing party as war criminals.
• As contentious as that election is there is not a single hint (to anyone who is sane) that there will be serious violence, any issues with the exchange of power or serious compromises in the electoral process.
• When I am done I am packing up for a long weekend where I will join about 500 others freaks for a celebration of our choices in how we live and what we do for fun.
• At that event there will be a signing for a book written by my good friend and published by me. At no point in the creation, printing, distribution or sale of that book have we ever needed to beg the permission of the government or gain it’s approval of the content.

These are not the characteristics of a totalitarian nation.

I am proud as hell of this nation. I am proud of the vast majority of our actions, I am proud of what we stand for. As a superpower we wield enormous influence. Anyone rational can see that this influence has by and large been a force for good in the world. Untold billions of humans live better, in more freedom and with more peace than they would have without us.

• There are many who revile us. Success always breeds envy.
• There are many who blame us. When you have influence and resources there are always those who wish you used it to their benefit, and not your own.
• There are many who seek our downfall. Our influence and indeed our very existence stands for something that many in this world consider evil. The right of individual humans to live for their own sake, and not as literal or moral slaves to their fellow man. On an individual level such a belief leads to hatred from others… of course it does on a national level as well.

I do have one real regret and disappointment in us as a nation this year. Each and every week I travel past the still gaping hole where the World Trade Center stood. That there is nothing there is, to me, a indicator that we are timid and that somehow we feel guilty about who we are.

We should have build the World Trade Center again the year it fell as a national project. We should have built it taller, wider and stronger. We should have built it in a way that was instantly recognizable as the buildings that were taken down. It should have stood as the largest collective “fuck you” in the history of mankind.

We did not, and I think I know why. Somewhere within us there is shame over what we are. That shame is not the shame expressed by Chris in his article. His distress is a symptom. Somewhere, deep down, many of us are ashamed of our collective success and power. We are as a nation wracked with the same doubts and fears that many powerful and successful individuals feel in a world that is trying to convince them to give it all up and be servants of the evil and weak.

Do not fall for this trap, either as a individual or a national citizen. There is nothing about ability, success or power that is shameful.

By all means this 4th of July keep in mind your questions and your dissent. Make your plans for how you will speak and act to make the changes you feel are needed. Discuss the upcoming elections and persuade those you can to vote the way you wish them to.

While you are doing all that however, do not despair but rather feel uplifted and proud. Appreciate that you live in a nation that protects your ability to do all that, provides you with the means to accomplish your goals and supports you in the attempt. Look around you at the monument this nation is to the work of those who were not crushed for the sake of their brothers. Reflect and remember that the greatest all volunteer military in history is keeping you safe and extending these freedoms to many who would otherwise never taste them.

Pause in your debates and take a moment with your opponents to smile in sheer delight at your freedom to debate and argue. Allow yourself the joy that comes from being an American.

I promise, it is ok to be proud.