It's only a right if you use it

Frontiersman Editorial Board

Fighting for ideas is always a tricky thing. In the case of a democracy that is bound by moral and ethical standards that place high value upon individual human lives -- and upon the rights we believe are inextricably connected to each of those lives -- military conflict is always sure to inspire debate. The question at the heart of those debates -- though it often becomes clouded by rhetoric and emotions -- really is, "Why is a given war worth fighting, and will the outcome justify the risks and the costs?" To ask that question is not unpatriotic. In fact, the most steadfast supporter of democracy must ask that question before taking up arms.

The reasons any democratic nation engages in military conflict must always be defensive ones. The fight for democracy is a fight to protect the notion that the human condition is defined by certain freedoms we believe are inherent rather than applied. That, we have long believed, is something worth fighting for. One of those freedoms, indeed the one that lends validity to all others, is the freedom of speech. The first line of defense for all rights is the collective voice of the people.

As the war in Iraq has progressed, the debate has intensified. Obviously, many people are opposed to the conflict, and they have sometimes been accused of lacking patriotism. One interesting comment that seems to be a common theme is, "Our troops are over there fighting for our right to say whatever we want, and these protesters should be ashamed of themselves for speaking out against the war." The irony is palpable. The suggestion seems to be that it's worth risking lives to protect the right to free speech as long as nobody exercises that right in a way that makes us uncomfortable.

It could well be argued that no right has authenticity until it is exercised in its truest spirit. An airman on television news this week said the protests bothered her, but that she believes she is defending the rights of those who disagree with her as well the rights of those who agree. That is what makes our military people so special -- it is why each of us owes them a debt of gratitude and respect we may never be able to repay. They are risking everything and enduring much hardship to defend something intangible. They are protecting the ideas that make us, as a people, right more often than we are wrong. We may never be able to repay that debt, but we can justify their sacrifices by exercising the rights for which they fight.