Lessons in polite public discourse: On Thursday, Sept. 20, the US Senate overwhelmingly passed (72-25) a GOP-introduced resolution condemning an ad by MoveOn.org that challenged the accuracy of General Petraeus' upbeat appraisal of US military progress in Iraq. MoveOn's sin? Suggesting that a US military general could be betraying the public interest by inaccurately justifying a continued presence of US troops in Iraq, contrary to the desires of the American public. Have they no sense of decency and decorum? About half of Senate Democrats voted for the censorious resolution introduced by the same party that has brought us such standard-bearers of decency and decorum as Bill O'Reilly, Ann Coulter, attack ads on Max Cleland's patriotism, Swift Boat, etc., ad nauseam.

Well, it could have been worse. The Senate could have ordered the entire staff and membership of MoveOn to be tasered. That's what happened on Monday, Sept. 17 to journalism student Andrew Meyer at a University of Florida forum with Senator John Kerry.

Meyer had the impudence to ask Kerry about why he so easily conceded the 2004 presidential election in the face of so much evidence of election fraud in Ohio (citing the investigative research of Greg Palast), and furthermore, why he didn't support the impeachment of Bush for breaches of the US Constitution and international law. Apparently, breach of decorum in a campus Q-and-A session is a much more serious matter: after his questions Meyer was grabbed by campus security and led out of the room. When Meyer demanded to know what he had done to justify this treatment, and refused to go quietly without such justification, he was wrestled to the ground and tasered, to the apparent approval of most of the assembled students and Senator Kerry himself.

Anyone see a pattern here?

The message is clear: In polite public discourse, some things are clearly out of bounds. If you cross the line, you will be punished. Even if you believe your tax dollars are being used by your government to violate international laws, that your leaders are lying to justify such shameful behavior, that the fairness of your country's elections is being compromised, or whatever, that does not give you the right to raise your voice or ask uncomfortable questions or challenge the authority of certain people.

At the very moment that our country needs people asking uncomfortable questions and challenging authority more than ever, we are told that such behavior will simply not be tolerated by those in power (including those ever-so-polite and reasonable Democrats).

Some questions: Why does the Democratic majority still allow faltering Republicans to set the rules of engagement in political discourse? Does anybody still think that Democrats will ever find the courage to stand up and do the right thing? How much longer are we going to politely comply with the tightening restraints on political expression? Why aren't we marching with torches and pitchforks on the White House and Congress right now? --Lansing Scott