The Sneetches

Yes, I know it's childish. But it's fun.

They say it's all about restoring honor, as if people who disagree with them have none. They wave their flags and thump their bibles, as if people who disagree with them are not as patriotic or god-fearing as they are.

There's nothing more American than dissent, so I support their right to disagree with me, or the president, or anyone, and to voice that disagreement to their heart's content; just as I had the right to voice my disagreement with the policies of George W. Shrub.

But when you question my honor, question my patriotism, tell me I'm somehow less American than you, them's fightin' words, buster!

Whenever they're losing an argument, they fall back on "Why do you hate America?"

It's so cynical. The people who use this tactic know what they are doing: fanning the flames of unreason and prejudice, trying to steer the argument away from real issues and towards finger pointing. It is much akin to McCarthyism. It stinks.

Let's keep the argument about real things. We're all Sneetches. Does it really matter if we all have a star on our bellies?

-- Freder