Blog #5: War

 

Dissent plays a role in America today. Dissent is defined as, "difference of opinion or sentiment; disagreement." This leads to what our first amendment protects, which is freedom of speech. However, two websites reveal that in regards to war, freedom of speech is not very welcomed. The American Conservative and AntiWar.com reveal things the government has tried to hide in regards to war efforts. 

One example of our government not telling us the truth in regards to things like war, can be seen with Iraq. In this article entitled The Lies We Believed (And Still Believe) About Iraq we hear about how  "President George W. Bush and seven of his administration's top officials made at least 935 false statements about the national security threat posed by Iraq." This lead to our nation going into war under false pretenses. One of the false lies half of America believed to be true was that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. Going back to AntiWar.com we see how it exposes our government once again for making false claims in regards to Russia in order to give an excuse for going to war. These websites are much needed to shine light on our government, though their have been many efforts by our government to hide the truth. 

What happened to what our first amendment protects? Our first amendment protects free expression, but as we just stated our government is trying to hide things, and stop people from expressing the truth. The American Conservative and AntiWar.com are valuable to us, and Americans should be using these website to stay up to date on what our government is truly doing. Our first amendment protects websites like these, and we should not have to hide from the truth. These websites of course are not promoted and many Americans do not know about them. Looking back in history, we see why we have to careful. In 1918, Eugene Debs voiced his opinion, "The working class have never yet had a voice in declaring war,. If war is right, let it be declared by the people - you, who have your lives to lose." Papers were published on Debs opinion on war and how he spoke up about ending the war. Debs was soon arrested. This prime example shines light on how freedom of expression has its consequences. Yet, if we want the truth, and we want to stand up for our rights, it is a risk we must decide if we are willing to take.