This past weekend I had my first taste of “Freedom fries,” and they were refreshingly oppressive.

This is just a terrific example of propaganda that I don’t want shoved down my throat. Well, I did eat the fries, but that’s beside the point.

The point is propaganda like renaming everyday things like French fries to “Freedom fries” is one of the most ignorant ideas I have ever been subjected to.

During World War I people started calling Frankfurters hot dogs and sauerkraut “victory cabbage.” Well at least the hot dog thing caught on. But those circumstances were different. Frankfurters and sauerkraut were German foods, and the Germans were the enemy.

This time the politically correct police decided to get rid of the French. Under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t care, but the French are not the enemy here. Just because France opposed attacking Iraq doesn’t make them the enemy. Many forget France has hundreds of troops in Afghanistan helping the “War on Terrorism.” Whatever happened to that? The war on terrorism is so last year, forgotten like a childhood toy.

The world hates the United States because we are self-absorbed idiots who think the world revolves around us.

The United States has invaded Iraq, but on the home front we are worried about what to call a bunch of fried potatoes.

The trivial pursuits of the American people are not necessary.

But we are Americans! We are conceited enough and spoiled enough to make frivolous pursuits seem important while our tax dollars are used to rain fire down upon a country whose people have to struggle to stay alive on daily basis. While back in the United States, people are fighting with semantics, so we are not reminded of one our allies that just happened to have enough spine to disagree with us.

Don’t think the whole “Freedom fries” thing is the only example of propaganda in the United States. A group in Champaign is airing television ads promoting their American unity rallies. In the commercial, they claim America is completely united, and anyone who says differently is a liar.

By that inane logic, I’m a liar because Americans are not united. Thousands of people are protesting this conflict with Iraq. Does that sound like a united people? No!

Just for the sake of presenting the propaganda coming from both sides of the Iraq issue, the newest music video “Boom!,” made by one of my favorite bands (System of a Down), is a great example of anti-war propaganda. Anything directed by Michael Moore can’t be considered anything but.

But propaganda exists even in our little corner of the world. Ever heard of SONOR? SONOR stands for social norms, a group dedicated to give Eastern students the facts about alcohol and drugs. With its old motto, “0-4 and no more,” and its new one, “Only a few @ EIU,” they are trying to tell people what to do. While their intentions are good, their methods are terrible.

Get a metallic beer stein and slap one of SONOR’s magnets on it while drinking more than a few drinks.

I hate people telling others what to think. People have brains for a reason, so they can make their own decisions.

Don’t listen to the propaganda, and certainly don’t listen to the incoherent ramblings of this self-proclaimed idiot.

Get all the facts from both sides, and think for yourself.