Right to peaceful protest imperative

Much of the world watched this past weekend as our nation brought a new president to office. I rest assured that I was not the only student who watched parts of President George W. Bush’s inauguration. As is the case with most large government events, this occasion received such a great deal of media exposure that an unawareness of it would signal a person’s lack of contact with general technology.

Aside from paying attention to the mainstream events — the parade, the address — I also paid specific attention to the protesters that lined the side of the road, standing in the freezing rain to jeer at the president as he drove past. These people so firmly believed in their opinions that they were willing to fly to Washington, D.C. to protest. And they were largely criticized.

Some supporters of the president thought the protesters should simply accept the election results and not attend if they disapproved.
The protesters had just as much a right to be unhappy about the election result as I had to be happy, and each of us has an equal right to express our thoughts.

After all, the protesters were not threatening with harm. They were simply stating their beliefs in a dedicated fashion. It is good to exercise our right to peaceful protest. Many places in the world do not allow such declarations of sentiment.

Taking our rights for granted is the worst kind of extravagance, and for this reason it is good to appreciate the protests around us, whether they are of our mindset or not. The United States will never reach a point where everyone agrees, thankfully, and a lack of protest or unexpressed opinion would merely signal a great apathy among citizens. Some disagreement is better than total apathy.
This week has begun the tenure of the 43rd president of the United States.

In this week, I give my support to two very different groups: to the president and his supporters and to those who have taken the time to exercise their voices of opposition.

Miranda Nesler is a freshman English major from Houston.
She can be reached at (m.g.nesler@student.tcu.edu)

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