Being against the establishment is inherent in our American culture, and that's not a bad thing. However, it seems obvious that the anti-war, anti-Bush protesters are an outgrowth of the long embittered anti-Viet Nam War peace movement of the 60's and 70's, when our troops were held up to public hatred and ridicule as they returned from the war. Right or wrong, the war in Iraq is not like Viet Nam and these times are not those times.

Still, the ugliness of this mess rests on the shoulders of misinformed activists, partisan politics and the academic elite. Indeed, there is little or nothing spontaneous about the anti-war movement. Those who are demonstrating against the war in Iraq are the result of political posturing from the socialist left-wing of the Democratic Party, Marxist organizations and the anti-American, anti-democracy indoctrination from the education establishment's factories of ignorance. And they are being funded by radical socialist foundations such as the (Ted) Turner Foundation.

Misguided anti-war protesters should be ashamed for the negative effect they have on our troops. And they should not be hampering our homeland security in these critical times by unnecessarily distracting law enforcement. Clearly, it all comes down to freedom, justice and fighting against oppression, not unlike the first Americans did. Nonpartisan government is good. Informed majority rule is better. More democracy is best. The tyranny of the minority is bad.

DDC