“Our tradition is one of protest and revolt, and it is stultifying to celebrate the rebels of the past while we silence the rebels of the present.”

Somewhat true, if you are actually educated and intelligent enough to protest against the right thing. People are so willing to whine about the Patriot act while the IRS collects more personal data and tax code manipulates more people then all the other parts of the government put together. All the while providing the crooks in congress their unending source of power. FAIRTAX.org !!!

Our tradition WAS one of protest and revolt. Since socialism is running rampant, it is politically incorrect to protest against our tyrannical government. Whining is all that occurs any more, no protests, no revolt, no riots ... no revolution. helorat is right, the unPatriot Act and IRS are destroying our country in the name of patriotism.

The only folks that do any silencing of anyone is the media, and they do that through selective processing of what is 'newsworthy'.

The quote is too general though the founders of this great nation did protest and revolt for the cause of freedom and liberty. The cause for the noble free to protest and revolt now is much much much greater than it was then.

Sure, blame the media, shoot the messenger. (The only selective processing I see is on the Fox Noise Channel.) My father, who served in both World Wars and returned with a chestful of medals and a legful of shrapnel, was deeply offended when the Nixon administration, none of whose members had ever served in combat (Nixon spent WW2 playing poker in a Navy supply depot) questioned his patriotism when he opined that the Vietnam war was a colossal mistake from Day 1. Our government should welcome dissent, not condemn it as "surrender."

C'mon, quit yer whining about crooked politicians and totalitarian practices -- welcome to the real world. No one will give you your freedom -- YOU have to guard it and exercise it -- no one ever got their freedom without some protest and rebellion against the politicians. Why Americans have become so complacent, I do not know -- I think it is because we have been thoroughly domesticated and conditioned to believe we 'deserve' to be taken care of instead of having to fight.

If we don't fight for our freedom,then who will? That's why patriot's are here to not to be afraid to fight for what"normal citizens"are afraid of.