In Protest of a War

It is interesting to note the different ways in which people try to make themselves heard and show that they are "involved." One may, for example, cease wearing an American flag pin on his lapel in a show of protest. Or, if especially outraged, one could throw his "hard earned" metals back to his government. Yet a third method of involvement is to go to the actual scene of the battle in the attempt to gain a firsthand knowledge of what is really going on.

I suppose what I am getting at is that there seems to be a stark difference between the Democratic and Republican party's methods of making statements. While the Democrats always choose to distance themselves from America as a form of protest, the Republicans always draw closer. While the Democratic nominees are talking about how messed up this country is; while Democratic leaders are telling Americans how bad they are, the Republican party calls for patriotism and true hope for the future.

While the Democratic leaders move away from America, the Republican leaders move closer. When asked why he was wearing a bracelet John McCain answered, "I wear a bracelet on my hand not only as a symbol of the sacrifice that a brave young man named Matthew Stanley made but that of 4,000 other brave young Americans who have served and sacrificed," McCain said "My prayers go out to those families every day, not just on the day that 4,000 brave young Americans have sacrificed."

Why is there this difference? Why is it that in order to show disapproval certain people feel the need to destroy that which they claim to want to protect? Finally, why is it that no matter what, no matter how bad the media makes our country out to be, and no matter how badly we are told we are "losing" there are still those who refuse to give in to defeat and continue to retain hope and optimism for their nation's future?