Brandon9000 wrote:I agree with what Roosevelt suggests. However, I happen to feel that giving aid and comfort to enemies of one's nation, people who have been absolutely clear on their intention to kill one's citizens and destroy one's way of life, is disloyal.
Wait.
You have said that to "disavow your government's decisions, with the specific intent of speaking for foreign consumption" equates with "giving aid and comfort to the enemy".
In fact, you've then specified that Americans should refrain from disavowing their government in any "situation in which the country's would-be destroyers can see".
Teddy Roosevelt, meanwhile, said that "Nothing but the truth should be spoken about" the President.
Note: he did not say, nothing but the truth should be spoken about the President except for, you know, when it shouldn't be. Like for example any situation in which the enemies could see what we are saying. Which, in today's world, would include most every TV station, radio station, newspaper and website.
So basically you're saying: I agree with what Roosevelt says. Except that I dont agree with him.
Brandon9000 wrote:To say that you disavow your government's decisions, with the specific intent of speaking for foreign consumption, must surely qualify as giving aid and comfort to the enemy. You seem to be rejecting in its entirety the idea of telling your countrymen that they're idiots, but putting up some kind of a front of solidarity in a situation in which the country's would-be destroyers can see.
As Set already pointed out, the ability to make this distinction, in today's world, is close to zero. There is no way (anymore) to "tell your countrymen that they're idiots" without it being seen by "the country's would-be destroyers" as well. They can read the New York Times online, and they can watch Fox News broadcasts online as well. If they have any halfway decent intelligence, they will be as aware of the things that are said and written in America's domestic media as your average Kansan.
That means that the solution that you sketch as the only proper thing to do; as, in fact, the only way to express criticism of your own president but avoiding aiding and abetting the enemy - is a dud. Your solution is, after all, that Americans should express their criticism "indoors" but keep "a front of solidarity" up to the outside world. Thats impossible. There's no way anymore, in this age of web and satellite, to call your President an idiot 'domestically' but keep up a loyal front about him towards the outside world. Because any halfway decent medium - whether its the Wall Street Journal, CNN or Yahoo! News, by definition reaches the outside world as clearly as your fellow Americans.
That leaves just two alternatives:
- Saying it anyway, knowing that the enemies are probably reading along - which, according to you, is aiding and abetting the enemy.
- Refraining from saying that your president is an idiot in any medium that your enemies "can see", as you plead. In practice, this comes down to keeping such criticism out of all broadcast media, major newspapers, websites, etc. It's the polar opposite of what Teddy Roosevelt said.
I certainly won't discuss that here, it wouldn't be very patriotic of me to fuel the internet fantasies of some damned foreigner, now would it? Talk about giving aid and comfort to the enemy!
