“Blind faith in bad leaders is not patriotism.
A patriot does not tell people who are intensely concerned about their country to just sit down and be quiet; to refrain from speaking out in the name of politeness or for the sake of being a good host; to show slavish, blind obedience…”
—Rocky Anderson, Mayor of Salt Lake City
This is in response to Rumsfeld’s speech in that same city equating dissent with appeasing the Nazi’s. To understand the context, Salt Lake City is the capital and largest city in the state of Utah which is the most pro-Bush state in the union and one of the few places where he still enjoys a positive approval rating. This city and state is also the home town of my mother’s family.
This speech formed the core of Keith Olbermann’s commentary in which he invoked Edward R. Murrow’s famous 1954 speech.
There are a number of great quotes from that commentary:
“Dissent and disagreement with government is the life’s blood of human freedom…It is also essential. Because just every once in awhile, it is right—and the power to which it speaks, is wrong…
That about which Mr. Rumsefeld is confused is simply this: This is a Democracy.”
—Keith Olbermann, Countdown
