Blind Faith in Bad Leadership Is Not Patriotism

A portion of the speech by Salt Lake City's Democratic Mayor Rocky Anderson, who led a protest rally on the occasion of Bush's appearance in the city yesterday. A more complete video can be found here. The protest was attended by thousands, some of whom were shown marching to Washington Square here. Also, lots of photos at the Salt Lake Tribune.

Despite the state Republican party launching attack ads and phone-in campaigns against him, Rocky refused to be silenced. "I'm not going to be a doormat", said the mayor in an interview.

His whole speech at the protest rally is worth reading and can be found here. A short excerpt:

In response to those who believe we should blindly support this disastrous president, his administration, and the complacent, complicit Congress, listen to the words of Theodore Roosevelt, a great president and a Republican, who said: The President is merely the most important among a large number of public servants. He should be supported or opposed exactly to the degree which is warranted by his good conduct or bad conduct, his efficiency or inefficiency in rendering loyal, able, and disinterested service to the Nation as a whole.

Therefore it is absolutely necessary that there should be full liberty to tell the truth about his acts, and this means that it is exactly necessary to blame him when he does wrong as to praise him when he does right. Any other attitude in an American citizen is both base and servile.

To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public. Nothing but the truth should be spoken about him or any one else. But it is even more important to tell the truth, pleasant or unpleasant, about him than about any one else.

We are here today as truth-tellers.

And we are here to demand: "Give us the truth! Give us the truth! Give us the truth!"

Here is another video of Mayor Anderson being interviewed about the protest:



I salute you, Mayor Anderson. If only the rest of the Democrats would take the cue from you.



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