Patriotism requires that we speak our minds

In the movie "The American President," Michael J. Fox, playing an aid to the president, asserts an American truth: "In this country, it is not only permissible to question our leaders, it's our responsibility." At a time when the Pentagon is relying on screenwriters and directors for creative terrorist-attack scenarios, and charities are counting on stars to raise money for disaster relief, it seems only appropriate that the American people get their lessons in citizenry from Hollywood. Indeed, we seem to have forgotten our responsibility to question and criticize in the wake of Sept. 11, turning "national unity" into a synonym for falling in line, assuming what is being done on our behalf is not only in our best interests but is just. People believe that making these assumptions is equivalent to rallying around the flag, but in reality, it is unpatriotic. Our leaders need to be questioned; they need to hear the voice of the people. They've figured that much out in Hollywood; now it's time the rest of America learned.

While many of our leaders have stepped up in recent months, providing an idealism and leadership we too rarely see in Washington, these people are not omnipotent. Our president, for example, has been hailed for his take-charge attitude and newfound grasp of foreign policy. But even George W. Bush has stumbled, declaring that non-citizens captured by the United States may be tried not in civilian courts but by military tribunals. This policy places the military in the roles of detective, prosecutor, judge, jury and enforcer and raises the possibility of sweeping arrests and prosecutions of resident aliens without any sufficient check on the government's power. It also inherently contradicts the ideas of due process and civilian rule that hold up our courts as paragons of fairness and justice. And yet, strikingly little criticism was offered when the policy was announced. Admittedly, some members of the "liberal" media were practically begging Americans to pay attention to this giant step down the slippery slope of removing liberties, but the average American, sitting around his dinner table, did not find it fit to question President Bush. This is a time of crisis, many argued, and besides, terrorists don't deserve justice. But that kind of argument just doesn't cut it in America. Ours is a country with faith in its judicial system and in justice for all. We can not let vengeance blind us. More importantly, we can not let fear stop us from speaking out, from asking whether this decision and others are right.

Americans have been no better at asking questions about airport security, what some pundits have termed "the only thing in America not to change after Sept. 11." Although the legislation has now passed, albeit in a somewhat diluted form, House Majority Whip Rep. Tom DeLay (R.-Tex.) did his best to keep the House's security measure from reaching a full vote. The Congressman, presumably, did not have a problem with the provisions of the bill that require stronger cockpit doors or allocate more federal dollars for hiring air marshals and buying better baggage scanners. What he did not like about it, it seems, was that the measure federalizes airport security workers, adding to the evils of "Big Government" and creating 30,000 new union members who will most likely vote against him and other Republicans come 2002. It is worth noting that none of Rep. DeLay's concerns relate to the security of American passengers. He shows no desire to learn from our tragedy and ensure that it will never happen again. Rather, he seems content to return to politics as usual, while Americans assume that Washington is taking care of this problem. The American people only deserve better if they demand it, finding and expressing outrage that a clearly necessary measure is falling victim to the immaturities of a Beltway heavyweight.

Before Sept. 11, Americans saw Washington as an abyss of corruption and cynicism, a place cut off from the rest of the country. Since Sept. 11, they have chosen to blindly believe that those selected by our democracy to lead will do so correctly. The temptation to rally around the flag and keep our doubts quiet is strong; we want to present a united front, to prove once and for all that ours is the greatest nation on the planet. But keeping quiet does not serve the interests of our country or of patriotism. The time when it is most important to exercise our rights is when they are called in to question, when a terrorist halfway around the world says that free speech and liberty are so wrong they deserve massive death. Now is the time to prove the terrorists wrong, to stand behind our flag and American ideals by asking questions and doing our duties as citizens. Katherine Reilly is from Short Hills, NJ. She can be reached at kcreilly@princeton.edu.