Raising Questions are patriotic as they build the moral character of the country« Thread Started on Jun 20, 2004, 6:26pm »--------------------------------------------------------------------------------Raising Questions are patriotic as they build the moral character of the countrySince the start of the Iraq war, I have been disturbed by the attitude among the Republican majority that it is somehow unpatriotic to speak one's mind about the war or to express the growing feeling among many Americans that President Bush is not competent to lead our nation. When House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi recently questioned our president's actions in the Middle East, Majority Leader Tom DeLay responded that her opinions put our troops at risk and that she had "a responsibility to the troops and to this nation to show unity in this time of war." I believe we can show support and appreciation for our troops' sacrifices while questioning the wisdom of our foreign policies. Maybe more questions needed to be asked by members of both parties before the war began. Perhaps it is our duty to ask the questions some in the service cannot. As we work so hard, even giving American lives, to help Iraq and Afghanistan establish societies in which dissenting voices can be heard, we appear to be shutting those voices down at home.