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| Stephen Jendraszak is a junior journalism major and writes 'Jack of All Trades' for the Daily News. His views do not necessarily agree with those of the newspaper. |
Late last week the nightly news showed an endless line of American tanks rolling through the desert. As reporters described the technological sophistication of our military equipment, I was both amazed and disgusted by what human ingenuity can do.
Our most brilliant minds design devices that are impressive in capability but terrible in purpose.
The tanks and transports rolled past the camera, and I worried very much for the troops inside. Many will die or be injured, and most others will be scarred by the reality of war. I also worried for the Iraqi civilians our soldiers are rushing toward. They didn't choose to live under Saddam Hussein but will die anyway.
I wondered: What are peaceful people to do now that war is being waged?
We should support our troops with prayer and concern, but at the same time we must not give up our opposition to the policy of pre-emptive invasion.
We should live our lives as examples of peace and love, making an alternative vision for the future visible to a watching world.
Most of all, we should be patriots. We should continue to love the idea of America -- the idea of a nation where everyone is free to think for themselves, say what they feel, and hold whatever beliefs have value for them. That ideal has been a shining example to the rest of the earth for over 200 years, and we continue to strive to achieve it ourselves. We don't always succeed, but patriots make us keep trying.
People with a much smaller vision of what it means to be patriotic have already attacked peace advocates. They believe that patriotism is limited to the support of a single president, and that it requires blind acceptance of every policy and program passed by the government. Anything less is treason.
When Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle said he was sad that President Bush failed in his diplomatic efforts, Republican leaders responded with fury.
Majority Whip Tom DeLay criticized Daschle's "second-guessing of our commander in chief on the eve of war." Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert said Daschle's comments "may not give comfort to our adversaries, but they come mighty close."
Neither DeLay nor Hastert mentioned how they had strongly opposed armed conflicts during the Clinton administration.
These attempts to make disagreement equal to treason are dangerous, and they are not limited to members of Congress.
When Natalie Maines of the Dixie Chicks spoke against President Bush, people around the country destroyed her band's albums. When Adam Stant, a Ball State student, wrote a letter to the Dailiy News opposing the war, his mother's home phone number was posted on an radical conservative Web site.
Meanwhile, reports abound that the Justice Department has quietly composed a second "Patriot Act." If passed, this bill would trample the Constitution by greatly expanding the government's power to use wiretaps, hold prisoners without trial and expel them from the country for belonging to disfavored groups. These things could happen to American citizens.
To keep the ideal of America alive, peace advocates and other Americans who love liberty must resist these attempts to limit "acceptable" opinions and speech. After all, if we aren't truly free in thought, belief and expression, what are our troops trying to defend?
Write to Stephen at stevehj@mac.com
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