By Ryan Bell
MOSAIC STAFF WRITER
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The national unity that arose after the terrorist attacks of 9/11 was a touching reminder that the American people are capable of great patriotism.
For me, it seemed like a horrifying sense of de'ja` vu.
Citizens were discarding the protections of the Constitution as if they were going out of style; indeed, the new trend was to be patriotic, to help Uncle Sam fight the enemy.
A zealous nationalism not seen since the Cold War era has enveloped the nation. As for the hundreds of Muslim men held captive without legal representation after Sept. 11? They were probably terrorists anyway; lock 'em all up and let the U.S. Justice Department sort them out. And anyone that opposed these actions must be a communist - er, un-American.
Even respected celebrities have been shunned and blacklisted for voicing their opinions. As a result, John Q. Public has opted to seek safety in numbers - among his equally complacent peers - rather than face a backlash for breathing a word of protest.
What is especially worrisome is that this bandwagon mentality is prevalent among our generation. As 16-year-old Monse Rodriguez of East Palo Alto put it: "Everybody is afraid of being shut out or shut down" for voicing their opinions.
Jaspreet Johal of Santa Clara goes even further.
"A lot of teens are scared of the government," the 17-year-old said. He says his peers would be put down if they shared beliefs that differed from government rhetoric.
But is this right? Will we one day look back to the year 2003 and be shocked by our own indifference?
It wouldn't be the first time.
During the 1960s, countless innocent citizens were grilled mercilessly during congressional hearings investigating their alleged communist ties. All it took was the unchecked political ambition of one senator, Joseph McCarthy, to destroy the lives and careers of those caught in the witch-hunt.
After the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941, then-president Franklin Delano Roosevelt issued executive order No. 9066, authorizing the relocation and detainment of thousands of Japanese-Americans in internment camps. Once again, the American people stood idly by while their neighbors were robbed of their homes and businesses.
These civil atrocities are now viewed with a kind of detachment, as history. Everyone takes for granted that "things like that" cannot happen again.
Apparently, people are unaware of the USA Patriot Act. Passed in October 2001, it allows the government to place surveillance on any citizen, as well as hold prisoners for indefinite periods of time without disclosing their charges or allowing them access to lawyers.
Many young people feel that current issues do not affect them directly or that they cannot make a difference. The key is to stay informed and to not be afraid to contribute opinions. An important part of this is voting. Despite being the largest age demographic, 18- to 24-year-olds have consistently had low voter turnout.
Our generation must adopt a radically different attitude. Patriotism is noble, but embracing it above all else will only blind us to the injustices perpetrated by our own government. We must not remain complacent while our freedoms are being taken from us, because once they are gone, they seldom return.
Perhaps President Alexander Hamilton said it best more than a century ago: "Those who stand for nothing fall for anything."