How Un-American can you get?

[stevebody]

Robert Heinlein, visionary, crank, and cockeyed optimist said, in his novel "Friday", "The first sign of the decline of a society is rudeness and the ability to simply disagree civilly". Amen. So freakin' what if the French don't agree with us about the need to invade Iraq? Going to a French restaurant and complaining about getting French waiter is like going to a whorehouse and complaining about promiscuity. The people in question were the sort of ignoramuses who would complain about something, no matter what the circusmstances.

Both sides of the war protests annoy me the hell out of me. The protesters because their self-righteous assumption of moral correctness pushes that button that is always pushed when anyone thinks they know it all. And the pro-war dinks because of the broad assumption that anyone who thinks the war is a bad idea cannot, prima facie, support the troops. I hate the freakin' war and I think George Bush is a tin-plated horse's ass but clearly see the need for action in the wake of 9/11. But I am also the step-dad of a Marine and would do anything to support the young people we've sent over there to risk death for our principles.

Why in hell cannot people just MIND THEIR OWN FREAKIN' BUSINESS? Shut up, for God's sake. The idea that everyone is entitled to every single one of our opinions, 24/7, is something our recent forebears would have thought was astonishing. Forums like this one, which exist only for the airing of opinions, are the legitimate avenue for civil disagreements. Personal conversations among friends, ditto. Belaboring a stranger in a restaurant, bus stop, shopping mall, or public park is simple rudeness, no matter how you dress it up. I take great delight in not patronizing French wines, restaurants, etc. but it's more a matter of aesthetics than politics. They don't care for us and hate it that most of the world speaks English instead of French? Kinda...pathetic, isn't it? But dissing your waiter with your mouth stuffed full of the enemy's boullaibase is kinda...pathetic, too.