from the washpost this morning: a kid turns in an anti-war essay when assigned to write a letter to a marine in iraq (no doubt the 'a's were boilerplate "thank you for protecting our great nation" type tripe). maybe it says the marines should die, maybe not. soon county sheriffs show up at the kid's house and spend a couple of hours questioning his parents: "A complaint had been filed alleging that her 11-year old son had made "anti-American and violent" statements in school." to be honest, the idea that making "anti-american" statements is a crime is one that has not really had much bite since the heyday of the john birch society. what are those marines over there fighting for again? oh yeah. "freedom."
They asked how she felt about 9/11 and the military. They asked whether she knows any foreigners who have trouble with American policy. They mentioned a German friend who had been staying with the family and asked whether the friend sympathized with the Taliban. They also inquired whether she might be teaching her children "anti-American values," she said.
