The "Silent Majority" had better start making some noise!

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We all remember the references to the "Silent majority" but do you remember who coined the phrase? Well it was President Richard Nixon in a speech on Nov. 3, 1969 and the topic was the Vietnam War. (Click here to read his speech.) Nixon said, "The American people cannot and should not be asked to support a policy which involves the overriding issues of war and peace unless they know the truth about that policy." And so he outlined how and why America got involved in Vietnam in the first place.

In that famous speech he declared, "Now, let me begin by describing the situation I found when I was inaugurated on January 20:

The war had been going on for four years. One thousand Americans had been killed in action. The training program for the South Vietnamese was behind schedule; 540,000 Americans were in Vietnam with no plans to reduce the number." Does this sound familiar. Not much has changed except the President and the Country as now it is about Iraq. We have lost more soldiers in 3 years than we did in the first 4 years of Vietnam. Just substitute "Iraq" for where you see "South Vietnam" in the speech and it will seem surreal. In his speech he also recognized he hadn't started the war and was a major critic of how the war was being conducted. Well our next President may utter the same words, as there seems no end in sight.

Near the end of Nixon's speech he used the phrase "Silent Majority" in this context: And so tonight -- to you, the great silent majority of my fellow Americans -- I ask for your support."

This reference was made to the "Silent Majority" because many students had been protesting in the streets over the Vietnam War and they were asking for our troops to come home. Looking back in history I think we can all agree how prophetic those cries were to bring the troops home, as we lost another 54,000 plus soldiers, which could have been prevented had we listened and become the not so "Silent Majority".

So I ask the Silent Majority now, raise your voices, become involved in the issues of the day, speak out against those that would trash the Constitution, the Bill of Rights and the rule of law, before your rights to protest are gone as well. There are plenty of issues to get involved in:
• Whether the U.S. has the right to torture, as claimed by the Administration. The President & VP think they do.
• Whether the U.S. has the right to detain those at GITMO indefinetely without giving the right to determine why they are being held. The President and VP think they do.
• Whether the U.S. has the right to wire-tap without authorization of the FISA Court. The President and VP think they do.
• Whether the U.S. has a right to meddle in "Right to die" issues" like the Terry Schiavo issue. The Republican controlled Congress and Senate think they do.
• Whether the U.S. has a right to not enforce laws regarding illegal immigration and protecting our borders. The President and VP think they do.
• Whether the U.S should hand the management and security of our Ports to a Foreign Country. The President and VP think they do.
• Whether the U.S. has the right to a preemptive strike on a declared or undeclared threat. The President and VP think they do.
• Whether the U.S has the right to repeat the mistakes of 20 years ago and grant amnesty without guaranteeing our borders are secure. The President, VP and apparently Congress think they do.

Time is running out and this Administration, under President Bush and VP Cheney, have all but subverted the rule of law in the name of protecting us. I'm sorry but I think we can do a better job as a country.