Protesters’ rights gained by bloodshed

I am back for more, pissed off and not going to take it any more. Why are peace rallies turning into riots and damaging personal property? Aren’t peace rallies supposed to be peaceful and passive in nature? Don’t all you pitiful, liberal morons supposedly support peace? Of course not, because all the liberals in this country have one goal and that is to tear down this great country and stomp on the moral fabric that binds us as Americans. Liberals and protesters are merely miserable little people living miserable little lives. They cower behind the shield of freedom of speech and personal privilege. Let me remind those who wish not to support our military in this war that those rights you so loudly claim to be expressing were not established by passive means. Our rights as American citizens were written with the blood of those great men and women who fought and died in this nation’s 227-year history.

My message to those who wish to piss on Lady Liberty’s feet is to put down your signs and drums, and kiss the feet of a veteran who put his life on the line for you. Those who choose to protest might want to join the butcher of Baghdad in his bunker, while stars and stripes rain down from the skies. Those opposed to war should watch the images of their fellow American citizens after they were executed by the madman you so loudly protect. My heart and prayers go out to those heroes who have fallen in this struggle for a free world. I am proud to be a citizen in a country that is God’s representative on Earth. I also call on those who oppose this war to respond and challenge me on my view. I not only ask you, I demand it.

Steve Woodside is a junior double majoring in professional and technicalwriting and computerinformation systems.

Protesters acting within their rights

From a conservative point of view, I cringe every time I hear some antiwar protester being called anti-American or un-patriotic. To the few who are scratching their heads at that statement, please allow me to clarify.

In my opinion, a true conservative takes the liberties directly appointed in the Constitution as gospel. Again, in my opinion, there are no true conservatives in this country calling protesters those names, or telling people to leave this country for criticizing it. Do not listen to those who do. The left in this country are dangerously close to being correct when they say that protest, as applied here, is the epitome of patriotism. To correct that statement somewhat, I would say that the Constitution was created especially to protect them. The ability for the people, even if they represent a minute percentage, to be able to gather in a public place (with television news crews in tow) and openly criticize their government is a beautiful picture of what makes this country so great.

To those who are currently trying to argue that protests are tying up valuable police resources, nice try. Except for a few isolated and little more than annoying incidents of protesters blocking traffic, the police are being asked to function exactly as we all want them to, are they not? They are protecting the rights of those acting within their rights. Besides, massive protests were expected, and as war plans were made, so were plans for federal agencies to vigorously go after terrorists here at home. That leaves the police to keep things orderly and write our speeding tickets. So quit worrying.

Just as I ignore the entire argument of those who call the president a warmonger, or refer to him as unelected, I also ignore the contentions of those who feel it necessary to call antiwar protesters illogical names. To a conservative, they both represent equally inane and dull-minded thinking. Besides, nothing indicates a weak, pointless position quicker than namecalling.

Jason Konopack is a senior majoring in microbiology.