India RPCV Ronald Kuykendall says History shows that patriots are the ones who protest
Read and comment on this letter to the editor of the Asheville Citizen Times from India RPCV Ronald Kuykendall who says that History shows that patriots are the ones who protest. Read the letter at:
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History shows that patriots are the ones who protest By Asheville Citizen-Times April 18, 2003 4:55 p.m.
The author of the letter, "Pondering who or what protesters are loyal to," (AC-T, April 10), should study history.
The Loyalists were supporters of the government. Washington, Franklin, Jefferson, etc. were protesting actions they thought wrong. If blind patriotism had ruled the 1770s, we would be singing "God Save the Queen" as our national anthem. Washington led a severe protest called revolution. Surely modern American democracy is strong enough to tolerate citizen protest.
People should be careful in questioning the patriotism of protesters. I am a protester who served six years in the U.S. Army, two years in the Army Reserve, 25 years as a Department of Defense civilian employee and two years as a Peace Corps volunteer. I think I am a patriot.
I have never doubted the U.S. could defeat the Iraqi military. I have many doubts that it is wise or desirable. Iraq did not threaten us. Saddam Hussein was a brutal dictator, but we have not been the world's dictator eraser.
I think our motives are more base and I think that in a few years we will regret them.
Ronald Kuykendall,
Asheville Click on a link below for more stories on PCOL
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