The
mainstream media may have picked up on the Ohio challenge, but there's a not-too-subtle framing of the issue being made:
The Ohio delegation to the Electoral College (news - web sites) cast its votes for President Bush (news - web sites) on Monday, hours after dissident groups asked the state Supreme Court to review the outcome of the state's presidential race.
Not concerned citizens or voting rights activists. Certainly not patriots. "Dissident groups". But it's just a word, right?
Look at the way that Merriam-Webster defines dissident and see if it's just a word.
dissident-, dissidens, present participle of dissidEre to sit apart, disagree, from dis- + sedEre to sit -- more at SIT
: disagreeing especially with an established religious or political system, organization, or belief
Those people who are protesting the Ohio election results, demanding a fair and accurate vote count in a democratic system, are being characterized as dissidents, standing apart and disagreeing with an established political system. Funny, it looked to me like they are trying to save that system. But maybe it's too far gone; maybe they haven't recognized that the "established political system" has changed and those who are trying to protect free and open democracy are now sitting apart.
(Note: Hi. First diary.)