Arthur Silber: When Politics Kills, Grief Becomes Politics

August 14th, 2005

Along the lines of some of the themes I discussed here and here, these are the concluding paragraphs of an outstanding and perceptive post (and I strongly recommend you read it all):

Apparently, I was brought up wrong. Somewhere in my young life I picked up the idea that the great glory of America was that this was a nation of Cindy Sheehans—all of us with not just the right and opportunity but the obligation to consider policy, to agitate for our understanding of the public good, to hold the leaders of our government—officials elected by us, or appointed in our names—to account. I have to thank John Cole for pointing out how dangerously such an idea approaches to lèse majesté: I mean, to think of some nobody demanding things of His Highness the President!