While I was walking back from lunch today I overheard a portion of a conversation by two men on the street. One guy said, "I hate the government, I swear, I hate everyone one of them. I can’t stand our government." I couldn’t help but think of the irony of that statement. It is because of our government that we are able to stand on the street and proclaim hatred for that very entity. Would such vitriol be allowed on the streets of Cuba, Venezuela, perhaps Iran? I think not. That must mean we have a good government – not perfect – but good. Sure they spend too much, argue too much, accomplish too little…and if you’ve tried to get a passport in the last six months, you are probably considering staging a coup..but it’s still the best thing going. Some students down in Jena, Louisiana also understand that. Today nearly 40,000 of them converged on the small town to request, scratch that, demand justice for a group of local students. There is no doubt that the students committed a crime. There is little debate that they should be punished. But the group of students from all parts of the country have gone down to remind local officials that one thing that makes our government good is equality and justice for all citizens. Despite the fact that the usual suspects (Sharpton and Jackson) are there, there seems to be an understanding of the need eschew injustice everywhere we can in order to protect justice everywhere we can.
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