Be afraid.

Fear is a theme that's been running rampant lately, fueled by the Confounder in Chief in his attempt to get elected (yes, I'm one of those who continue to insist that Gore won). There have been a slew of articles lately that put in print what's been obvious for the last three years: fear is a very useful tactic for maintaining support for the administration and puts anyone who might have contrary thoughts in a position that's equivalent of arguing against mom and apple pie. (Given carbophobia, another great fear, one can probably make a case against apple pie, but that's another story.)

It's amazing how people buy into this. As a kid, I learned there were communists everywhere. They went away, not because of an untenable political system, poor economy, and inept leadership but because Ron Raygun had a vision and "stood up" to them. He could insist that Gorbachev "tear down the wall" because it was ready to fall down anyway. Funny, of the three nations in the axis of evil, we happened to knock off the one without significant weapons systems. Remember the "mushroom cloud" smoking gun, the UAV's that were able to deliver WMD's to our shores, the alliance between Saddam and Usama?

Scary wasn't it? Not true, but scary. Besides it's much more effective than trying to frighten folks with visions of relics of the 60's engaged in a culture war. Right up there with the "homosexual agenda" to destroy family life as it's been for centuries. Not as messy as book burning.

5000 arrests and we've yet to turn up one of those "sleeper cells" or actually convict someone of being a card-carrying member of Al Qaeda in the commission of a terrorist act. Zero. Our success is paralleled by our staunch British allies, who've made over 660 arrests and ended up with 17 convictions: IRA members and militant Sikh types but no Qaeda's. Zero. There again, Blair likes to imitate Bush.

I don't doubt there are some mean, nasty, homicidal people out there (God's instruments, no less), I do doubt we're being told the whole truth. The Bush Administration firmly believes they can create their own reality. The sad part is that 50.1% of the population might buy it.

comments: philoking-at-comcast-dot-net What you write, I may quote!