[StBernard] Is it the "American Way?"

[Westley Annis]

You know, I was working as a reporter in 2001, and after 9/11 I interviewed
several Muslims about their reaction to the attack on the World Trade
Center. Overwhelmingly, their response was, "I don't condone what they did,
but I understand why they did it." Which to me was a sneaky way of saying,
"I agree with what they did."
 
We have elections to take care of these things. Violence isn't acceptable.
 
Richard


> Is it the "American Way?"

>  

> by John Scurich

>  

> The historic vote by a progressive, liberal Democratic Congress 

> on what they

> are calling "healthcare reform" has definitely caused a reaction 

> among many

> Americans.  Many member of Congress, all Democrats, have received

> threatening phone calls.  About a dozen Democratic 

> Congressmen have had

> rocks and other objects thrown through their office 

> windows.  Naturally,

> members of Congress have made statements condeming the acts 

> saying "this is

> not the American way."  Or is it?

>  

> I consider myself a decent student of early American history and 

> you know

> the old saying - those who ignore history are condemned to 

> repeat it - or in

> the very least "see it repeated."  In the years leading up 

> to 1776 and the

> American Revolution, British soldiers and diplomats were taken 

> from their

> quarters - by American colonists - stripped naked, tarred, then 

> feathered.It was brutal torture in the very least.  

> Thousands of everyday,

> hardworking, puritan American cheered as the tortured British 

> were paraded

> through the streets, in this particuar case, Boston.  

> Several of the

> colonists leading this violent act were of the family of John 

> and Samuel

> Adams.

>  

> Those who apprehended the British and tortured them - to their 

> deaths I

> might add - were heralded as heroes.  To this day some 

> history books still

> do.  Keep in mind these were people of an age where today's 

> historians label

> them as being more "civilized" then our American society 

> today.  Yet, these

> Americans who made up those mobs in the 1770's tortured and 

> murdered British

> soldiers who apparently had done nothing wrong.  But they 

> were of the enemy

> to freedom and liberty - they represented an armed King George 

> III who the

> American colonists had labeled an evil tyrant because he 

> repressed the

> freedom and liberties of the colonists.

>  

> History teaches us that everyday, nice, civilized people will 

> resort to

> violence when they feel their freedom is at risk of being loss 

> to an

> oppressor.  Human nature, human behavior's constant, has 

> never changed

> through the centuries going back to before the time of 

> Christ.  So why would

> anyone expect people to act differently today - espcially when 

> reminded that

> "we" are less civilized than our founding fathers.

>  

> For anyone to be shocked by such a reaction is a poor student of 

> history.While breaking the windows of Congressmen's offices 

> cannot be condoned, it

> can certainly be understood considering millions of Americans 

> are feeling

> the very same way our founders did.  In all honesty, how 

> many of you when

> hearing of it were glad?  Admit it, deep down some of you 

> were a little

> happy to hear of it - not that you condone such behavior, but 

> you could

> relate to those people's frustration - the very same frustration 

> of our

> founders who committed the very same acts, if not worse, over 

> 235 years ago.

>  

> Oh, but that was to gain our freedom and liberty!  So, 

> taking such actions

> today to preserve our freedom and liberties is 

> "different?"  If a liberty

> loving American feels threatened today, what constitutes a 

> different, but

> acceptable behavior?  After all, we've already established 

> human nature has

> never changed.  So why expect anything different.

>  

> I can't believe Democrats were so naive to think Americans would 

> not react

> that way.  Several Democratic Congressmen said they are 

> living in fear.

> Well, when you no longer represent want "we the people" want, 

> then you are

> going to get the same kind of behavior our founders 

> displayed.  But what

> about doing this through the election process?  Obviously 

> for many Americans

> the general elections in November are too far away to let their 

> fears and

> discontent be known.

> 

>