As I mentioned in my post yesterday on Obama’s inauguration, even though I am firmly on the other side of the aisle, I cannot deny the historic significance of the day and the solemnity of the occasion. That’s why it pained me to hear of the behavior of some of the attendees when President Bush took the dais for the final time. From Hank Bostwick at the Star City Harbringer:
Likewise, when the entire crowd in the Silver Ticket section in front of the Reflecting Pool and within earshot of the Capitol platform erupted into boos and heckling of former Republican Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, I knew I would be cringing the moment President George W. Bush stepped out of the halls of Congress into the frigid morning air.
“Nah, Nah, Nah, Nah, hey, hey, hey . . . goodbye,” the crowd began to sing after a series of boos that nearly shattered the frozen glaze on the Reflecting Pool behind us.
One African American lady from Ohio to my left in the crowd said, “That ain’t right . . . I don’t like the man, either, but that ain’t right. His children are up there.”
Another onlooker, a woman in overalls from California, who joined in the chant told the lady to my left that President Bush “deserved to know how we feel one last time.”
Equally shameful, though, are the (unfortunately) typical antics of the Westboro Baptist Church. These are the very same people who shamefully interrupt the funerals of our fallen soldiers, and they were up to the very same yesterday:
Shameful behavior from both sides. It is, however, their right to act in such a boorish and disrespectful manner. Such is the delicate balance between freedom and decency. To ban one form of speech because it is judged disrespectful by the community at large is to say that any other form of speech can be judged the same way when tastes and values change. Thus, they are free to conduct their protests without interference, and I am equally free to be disgusted.
And I wouldn’t want it any other way.
