Originally Posted by Jason Marcel

What do you do about it? You vote against the guy! And you make friends with as many non-political people that you can and you help to make them aware of the world around them.

And you book time on community access tv or campus radio stations and you get the word out. And you defend real American values clearly and directly and proudly. And you change people's minds. You write letters and start petitions. You canvas door to door. You stand on the street with an open and warm face ready to talk to anybody about the one you're campaigning for, and why.

And you just keep talking about real American values. You declare with an utmost confidence mixed with sincerity that patriotism can't be measured in flagpins.

You mention that torture is not American. And that interrogators from all over the world, specialists, psychologists, doctors, and law enforcement officials with any good sense will tell you that you can get much, much more out of someone by projecting calm, by seeming curious and open, by understanding the virtue of patience and good listening. And you say that torture only makes a detainee tell you what they think you want to hear and that at it's core, torture is meant to instill terror in an individual.

And you defend the good values big and strong and loud in every avenue possible.
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How else can I put this? My uncle's a dick. I disagree with him on everything. But on top of that, I don't like the way he treats his wife. He's not a brute; he's just not.....sensitive. I see them once a year at Thanksgiving. Now, I live in a free country, so I suppose I could say whatever I want whenever I want, but every year, I'm his guest, because that's the agreement I made when I came to sit at his table. And every year, by the grace of God go we, when he says a little prayer before dinner I think "he's such a jerkoff....but he always hits a nice warm tone when he says grace.....fucker". And for at least one visit every year, I just let it go without saying that I think he's a dick.

It's kinda like that.

Presidents are who they are, but sometimes they aren't who they are, and they're the figurehead of a nation, welcoming new citizens here on behalf of us all. Give the Prez a moment. Protest his motorcade, whatever. But if you decide you're going to be in an audience, remember what Bill Maher said, "You're in the AUDIENCE.........AUDIENCE!!!....comes from the Latin word, meaning, 'to LISTEN'."

America could do with some good listeners. Just because George W. hasn't been a good one doesn't mean you have to be either.