Anti-American

[plutherus]

Debra Saunders is a columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle, who I happened to read today. She wrote an article called "Anti-American and Unaware", a particularly clueless regurgitation of Bush Doctrine, full of misleading statements and rather disingenuous arguments. You can read the original here

It annoyed me enough to respond with a letter to the editor:


No, you're wrong.
I do not support Bush's war on Iraq. This man has has been caught
lying to us repeatedly, about his National Guard service, his criminal
record and, most recently and relevantly, about an IAEA report on
Iraq's capability to develop nuclear weapons. I see no reason to
believe him now. Learning from experience is not Anti-American.

The current administration includes many of the same people who, the
last time they were in power, were caught illegally selling weapons
to Iran and using the money to fund a secret Central American war
that Congress had already expressly forbidden. A criminal act whose
investigation was only shut down by a massive round of pardons by
Bush I. These people believed they were above the law then. It's not
Anti-American to say I don't believe they've suddenly changed their
minds.

I oppose the policies that put Americans in harms way for
no better reason than to bolster Bush's falling popularity. That's
not Anti-American, that's merely anti-Bush.

I oppose policies that turn our allies against us by telling them
that their concerns are irrelevant to us, therefore guaranteeing
both more hatred towards the United States and less cooperation
from our allies. This can only increase terrorism, not decrease
it. It's not Anti-American to point this out.

I love this country, but I don't believe that blindly following
The Leader is the best way to express that love. It's not Anti-
American to point out that what's in the best interests of Cheney,
Rumsfield, Bush, and Falwell is not always necessarily in the best
interest of the rest of us.

Call me Anti-Bush if you want, and I'll wear that label proudly
for you, but Anti-American is a label that won't stick.

Pat Luther

Comments

But...

[31seel.livejournal.com]

The problem is a classic logical fallacy (whose name I can't remember). Essentially, she is taking a restrictive definition and using that to bolster her argument. By her definition of "American" -- which she has defined as "the policies and person of the Head of the Executive Branch" -- we are "anti-American". The key to destroying her argument is to address the term "American". I am not referring to just the dictionary definition, however that is a good start. American is defined (at http://www.dictionary.com/search?q=american )
  1. Of or relating to the United States of America or its people, language, or culture.
  2. Of or relating to North or South America, the West Indies, or the Western Hemisphere.
  3. Of or relating to any of the Native American peoples.
  4. Indigenous to North or South America. Used of plants and animals.

No where do I see her definition. Most of us use "American" in the context of (1). I am Anti-American Governmental Policy. I also find certain aspects of Amirican Culture distasteful, but not to the extent that I would qualify as "anti-American".

Gotta love those Logic & Analysis of Argument classes I took in college