NAME YOUR FEAR!

Here's the current list (not in any particular
order):

Liberals(suspected of hating America, God and guns,
loving socialism, gays, terrorists, etc.) Also known as
"tax and spend liberals," elitists, intellectuals.

Socialists and Socialism (undefined: Social Security
has always been opposed by Republicans as "social-
ism." Reagan feared Medicare, sure it would bring
socialism). If those are, then we're already there.
It's not too bad, is it? Want to scrap social security
and Medicare?

Gays and gay marriage. The fear is that gayness
is catching, and is being taught to our children as OK!
Actually, sexual attraction is determined chemically
by estrogen and testosterone and related wiring. A
teenage boy attracted to girls is not easily dissuaded.
And vice verse for girls drawn to guys! It is equally
natural for some few to be drawn to the same sex.

Gay marriage is a big fear, although no one has ex-
plained how or why that should threaten traditional
marriage in any way. It doesn't. Every religion is
free to govern its own rules for recognizing and bles-
sing a marriage. That's as it should be. Civil marriages
are another matter. They are no one else's business.
Massachusetts has civil same-sex marriages, and the
lowest divorce rate (among heteros) in the country.



Communism (It has never worked anywhere in the
world, and can't work. It is being abandoned and
replaced in most of the countries that have tried it.)
Still used however as a bogey-bear to scare the hell
out of the uninformed and easily spooked!

terrorists: people who use or threaten to use force
on civilians for political purposes. Al Qaeda and the
Taliban are leading practitioners, along with the U. S.
and Israel who have both been doing it longer and
more efficiently. (See current threats against Iran.)

Muslims: Less than 5% of the 1 billion, 300,000
Muslims in the world are actually violent extremists,
but we are frightened spit less by any and all Muslims.
(Witness the 15-20% in our country who won't vote
for Obama because they fear he might be one.)
Actually, there isn't a Muslim country in the world
that isn't, as we speak, hunting down and killing or
capturing any and all violent extremists they can
find in their midst. (Check especially, Egypt, Pakistan,
Indonesia and Saudi Arabia.)

Anyone who opposes the war in Iraq must be feared,
because they "hate America" and want America to
lose! Well, 70-80% of us now oppose the war and
understand that it was and is a big mistake. The idea
(promoted by Rush and Hannity and implied by
McSame/Palin) is ridiculous to the point of absurdity!

Perspective:

Every four years the Republicans stoke up their
fear machine and grind it out to win (or steal) another
election. It's the only thing they're good at, and they
do it well. They hate government and don't try to
make it work (except for their favorites). Instead
they govern by the mushroom-growing method: Keep
'em in the dark and feed them horseshit!

Cheer up! "God has not given us a spirit of fear, but
of power and of love and a sound mind!" (St. Paul)


jgoodwin004@centurytel.net