Sr. Airman Says "Unpatriotic" To Always Stand By The President

Sr. Airman Says "Unpatriotic" To Always Stand By The President

[Thanks to Don Bacon, Smedley Butler Society, who sent this in.]

September 9, 2005 By Senior Airman John Nixdorf, Stars and Stripes

The headline was the same as on the AP feed, with the description of the pro-war camp as "patriotic," perhaps to indicate Sheehan is "unpatriotic."

In 1918, during World War I, former President Theodore Roosevelt wrote an excellent editorial. In it, he addresses questioning the president during wartime.

He said: "The President is merely the most important among a large number of public servants. He should be supported or opposed exactly to the degree which is warranted by his good conduct or bad conduct, his efficiency or inefficiency in rendering loyal, able, and disinterested service to the Nation as a whole.

"Therefore it is absolutely necessary that there should be full liberty to tell the truth about his acts, and this means that it is exactly necessary to blame him when he does wrong as to praise him when he does right.

"Any other attitude in an American citizen is both base and servile.

"To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.

"Nothing but the truth should be spoken about him or anyone else . But it is even more important to tell the truth, pleasant or unpleasant, about him than about any one else."

Whether you agree or disagree with his policies, you must never be afraid to question him; it’s patriotic. It’s essential in a free country that the citizenry be willing to question and criticize the president.

Saying "we should always stand by the president" is unpatriotic. If decisions must be made on which "camp" is patriotic, listen to Roosevelt.

http://www.militaryproject.org/article.asp?id=682