I couldn't help but squeal with glee in a recent U. S. History class when my professor went over the Alien and Sedition Act of the Adams administration. "What a great idea!" I thought with my eyes, no doubt, shining.
Though the alien part is uninteresting to me, the sedition part immensely intrigued me. In today's America, opinion columnists can verbally flog the President of the United States, and his administration. They can even trash talk all of their local government officials if they want.
Citizens in today's America can be members of organizations that meet to mock and work against our current leaders. In fact, dissenters can do everything short of causing mass violence and dialing bomb threats. All of this is horribly wrong.
It is wrong thinking that leads to violence against a nation. We must nip these crimes in the bud of where they start.
This country was not made for the voices of contrary dissonance, but rather, made for the compliancy of the people united in total trust of the leadership.
I think I can say with full confidence that our forefathers would frown strongly on our current leaders who allow those citizens who disagree and mock them to walk free. They would also, most likely, point and laugh at their inability to punish or inhibit opposing opinions.
Modern government's attitude of allowing different opinions to air their complaints is harming our country. This attitude is dividing America.
What today's America needs are leaders that look less kindly on wayward behavior and thought, and will instead treat its citizens with an iron fist, if you will.
Today's America needs a new sedition act.
We need a new sedition act because nobody should be allowed to publish criticism of our leaders. For example, if someone believes that our President is a draft-dodging unintelligent frat boy, and they pollute others' minds with such treasonous language, they deserve to be imprisoned and thrown out of the country.
It wouldn't be the first time that we enacted a new sedition act. In 1918, one was carefully included in an Espionage Act to guard against the "Red Menace." This was a great idea introduced in an effort to send those Communists packing!
Another bonus to this legislation would be that 90 percent of Hollywood would either be forced to leave the country, be imprisoned or just to shut their mouths. Everybody wins! (Except self-important thespians.)
I urge all readers of this publication to write to their congressmen and encourage them to draft new legislation to punish those who commit such treasonous thought-crime.
Blind trust is the foundation of a quiet citizenry. Remember, if France had followed this philosophy, they would not have riots in their streets.
After all, if we are not bound together with identical opinions, then how can we ever coexist peacefully?
Jacqueline Willison is a junior psychology and pre-pharmacy major. She can be reached at jnw2u@mtsu.edu.
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