by Paul Schingle

Created on: February 24, 2008

"Congress shall make no law...abridging the freedom of speech...and the right to petition the government for a redress of their grievances." Not only is Bush-bashing not unpatriotic, it is covered by two of the five freedoms guaranteed by the first amendment. I would go so far as to say that even the notion that Bush-bashing is wrong at all is far less patriotic than Bush-bashing is itself.

Now, ideally, if a person is going to bad-mouth the president (or anyone else for that matter) (s)he should have the evidence to back it up. With this particular president, there just happens to be mounds of evidence.

To wit, this president is either one of the biggest liars in the history of the office or is one of the least intelligent. He sold us a war in Iraq based on one untruth after another. (Weapons of mass destruction, ties to Al-Quaeda, etc.) He continually tells us that the economy is in terrific shape, even though unemployment is up, inflation is up, foreclosures are up and consumer confidence is down. He continues to serve the interests of big business, even though large corporations continue to pollute our air, groundwater and land while lining their own pockets at the expense of hard-working blue-collar laborers. So, which is he-a liar or a moron? (Personally, I think it's a little bit of both.)

What we need is a free and open public dialogue in matters of the presidency. He works for us, not the other way around. If a person takes the job of president, he has to be prepared for constructive criticism. In the unlikely event that the candidate I support in '08, Barack Obama, was to win, he'd have to face the same kind of scrutiny that Bush faces now. (And, well he should.) We don't elect a president, then forget it and let him/her do what he wants without facing consequences, without facing criticism.

This country began with the idea that self-government is an ideal we should strive for. We are trying to prevent a police state. If the leaders we have are running away with power, they are to be stopped. It's the patriotic thing to do. The last thing the country needs is a president who is free from criticism.

Is Bush-bashing unpatriotic? It is actually quite the opposite.

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