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The paragraph that starts off "Does it take courage to protest a war? I sincerely doubt it."
"Obviously it does not take courage to protest, it just takes a fad."
"I think you'd be hard-pressed to say that you ever actually feared for your safety or freedom while criticizing the American government."
Do people beleive these things? What you're basically saying is that because it safe to protest in this country, it is wrong to do so, especially if it somehow offends one's sensibilities. I'll certainly admit that some people protest to go along with the crowd, but what's the bigger "fad"? The protests, or how got into this war in the first place? I don't know if anyone remembers, but we went in to Iraq because we were scared stupid by 9/11, and we were scared stupid enough to beleive any cock-and-bull story that the administration was willing to spin out for us. Where's the courage in that? Where, pray, is the courage in sending other people's sons and daughters to die based on a hunch?
Maybe it doesn't take any courage to protest. I disagree. Let's try a thought experiment. You say you're against this war, that it was a mistake. Now imagine a conversation with a VFW member - he got a purple heart in WW II, he has trhe cap, and the flag pin - the whole nine yards. And he asks you what you think of the war. What are you going to say? Do you think it doesn't take courage to politely and respectfully tell the truth about your beliefs?