Now, I certainly don't claim to be the best-read or most well-informed voter and certainly do not take offense when the opinion of others differs from mine.
My problem surrounds yesterday evening's State of the Union Address. I wish I had a nickle for every comment made (both in person and on Facebook) complaining about the speech before it occurred or saying that the person was happy they had to miss it, or was planning to miss it, just because they don't like our sitting president.
I've watched every State of the Union Address I can remember since high school (the Clinton Administration). For more than half of that time, the person delivering the speech was not a person I cared for very much. Additionally, I have watched every Inauguration, regardless of whether or not I approved of the person being inaugurated.
I watch these events because I cannot be physically present for them. If I could attend them, I would. This is not because I like the guy in office (because I definitely haven't always!). It's because I respect the office itself, and the process by which a person rises to it.
Another thing I wish I had a nickle for was every time someone talks about how our military is so great and how owe them a debt of gratitude for our freedom (clarification: I agree with this). I have noticed that many (but certainly not all!) of these boycotters are the same people that I often see hollering day and night about how we need to be supporting the military more. So these people go ahead and do what they can to support the military themselves, which usually consists mostly of wearing patriotic colors and filling up their Facebook profiles with statuses with military-glorifying statements that most often accuse me of being un-American, just because I won't copy said status to my own profile.
I suppose those are ways that some people choose to support the military. As for me, the best way I know to support our military is to do what I can to support the country for which it works. I watch debates. I vote my conscience. I pay attention to speeches. I watch national events. Because of many things, including the sacrifice of our armed forces, the we are able to hold rallies and demonstrations, campaign, vote and express our opinions without fear of the violence that is commonplace in many other countries. In honor of this great gift, I participate in the democratic processes described above regardless of who is in office.
I believe that boycotting things like the State of the Union Address merely because of the person delivering the speech is childish. As I watched him speak last night, I wasn't thinking, "Man this guy is awesome!" Instead, I was thinking, "How lucky are we to live in this nation?" And believe it or not, there were times I thought the same thing, even when it was the other guy making the speech.
If you disagree with this, I'd love to hear why. Unlike some others I know, I'm not afraid of the other side of the story.
Keep It Real!
