Protests disrespectful, rude

Droves of people flocked to the nation’s capital for the second inauguration of President… Droves of people flocked to the nation’s capital for the second inauguration of President George W. Bush. Some were there to honor and support our leader at the beginning of his new term. Some were there to witness an important historical event. Others, unfortunately, were there for less noble reasons.

They brandished signs that read “Worst President Ever” and “Four More Years: God Help America.” They carried coffin-shaped boxes to signify the troops who died in Iraq. They chanted about war, anti-abortion laws and the administration’s environmental and economic policies.

And they were in the wrong.

Don’t be mistaken — I am not a Bush supporter. I’m a registered Democrat. I voted for Kerry, and I shared in this campus’s (overall) feeling of agony as the votes were tallied and dreams of a new and better approach to foreign and domestic policies were crushed. I, too, take issue with many of the things Bush and his administration have done or failed to do during their first term.

But I would not protest this inauguration.

Bush won. There was no question this time around — no need for a recount, no feeling that America’s choice was being blocked from his rightful seat in the Oval Office. Even though it was close, and even though Pennsylvania proudly went to Kerry, George W. Bush is the president that our nation elected. We should respect that.

Yes, protesters have the very important and cherished right of free speech and the right to assemble. No one can keep them from expressing their feelings of disdain and disappointment about the fact that we’ll be seeing Bush on television for the next four years. And there are times when protesting is not a bad thing. It can help spark change; it amplifies voices that might not otherwise be listened to.

But protesting this inauguration could accomplish nothing constructive or positive. Although what these protesters had to say was important — and some of it I agree with — they weren’t saying anything new or anything that wouldn’t be better served by contacting their representatives in congress and appropriate lobbying groups en masse.

The ceremony wasn’t going to stop. No one was going to say, “You know what? They don’t want Bush to be president. Let’s get Kerry up here instead!”

The administration was not going to have an epiphany, change any of their policies and decide to make drastic changes the minute the inauguration was over.

The war was not going to magically end.

Protesting this inauguration was ridiculous and disrespectful — disrespectful to the president and to the integrity of the people of our country.

One of the biggest criticisms of Bush has been his failed 2000 campaign promise to be a “uniter, not a divider.” But by choosing to protest the inauguration, these people were only helping to dig a deeper trench of division between themselves (and people like me who agree with them but don’t protest) and Bush (and the half of the nation that agrees with him).

What good does that really do?

Even if you didn’t want Bush to be re-elected, even if you’re all but bursting with tears of anger on this post-inaugural day, the appropriate thing to do is to resign yourself to reality — he is the president — and consider ways in which you can help make changes in positive and productive ways.

Congress is a complicated place, and the Democrats are outnumbered. They have to work together, and they have to work with the Republicans. Yelling and screaming and waving signs does nothing to help our Washington underdogs get things — the things that the protesters want — accomplished.

Besides, how do you think that makes our country look to the rest of the world? Many foreigners are unhappy, if not appalled, that Bush is still president. Chanting loud protests during an inaugural address doesn’t help our global image.

The citizens of some countries don’t have the freedom to speak as freely and openly as we do. Not every global citizen can boast the freedom to protest. But by abusing that right, many Americans make us look like a nation that is more bent on yelling for the sake of yelling than having anything constructive to say.

It takes coalitions to get things done in a global society. Our president and nation need to command respect in order to be taken seriously and accomplish anything outside of our own borders.

If we can’t at least look like we can tolerate our own president, why should anyone else?

Erin Lawley is the Assistant A’E Editor. She is excited and hopeful for November 2008.