Fair Weather Defense

In December, 2008, at the conclusion of George W. Bush’s second term, I referred to the president as a “Constitution shredding boil on the backside of humanity.” It was painfully clear his policies had violated Amendments I, IV, V, VI, and VIII of the Bill of Rights.

Not surprisingly, this offended certain readers. I will quote one in particular. “Today, many signs of the times are very troubling. One such sign has been the continuous slander and hatred aimed toward President Bush and his supporters. It is one thing to disagree with opposing views, it is quite another to become obsessed with such hatred. Such irresponsibility hurts our country, the office of the presidency, our war efforts and our ultimate survival.”

On the occasion of Independence Day 2010, this same individual informs us, “Today, America is in turmoil and in danger of being destroyed from within. We have a socialist president, a far-left Congress and many ultra-progressive groups … running roughshod over our rights and freedoms. What can we do to stop this tyranny?”

Thankfully, we are provided with both the question and the answer by Ms. Diana Thorn: “We must honor and support the Declaration of Independence (and) the Constitution … our Constitution is the only thing standing in the way of tyranny,” she preaches.

During the Bush/Cheney regime, defenders of the Constitution and Bill of Rights were often accused of appeasement, giving aid and comfort to the enemy, and hurting our chances of “ultimate survival!” Now, in 2010, we are told it’s our last defense against tyranny. What has changed?—Robert Baruch, Goleta