An open letter to the FearFul

[salin]

Outside of right wing radio I have heard a few make comments, sounding sincere, expressing great fear that this country is about to be taken over by Jihadists. These folks genuinely fear that they will be "forced to convert" to Islam. Few say it outright, but each and every person who justifies the ongoing war in Iraq with the "better fight them there than here" have that same fear rooted in that sentiment.

To you I say: Under what circumstance could that *really* happen? Seriously. Where is the money, the military might, the manpower to take over the US, and impose a brutal enough occupation to force religious conversion of the US population and could sustain a takeover of the US govt. Seriously. Turn off the radio and Fox News. If you have to visit a few other churches and listen to some other pastors.

Those politicians pandering for votes push a "scary scenario" in order to get you to vote for them. Notice they never give you the scenario of *how* this "takeover" would happen. Notice that they don't dwell on their lack of confidence in the US people and the US military, as the supposed awful outcome the push to get your fear pumping - assumes that we, as a people, and our military and all civilian police forces would just roll over.

It is time to get passed accepting such ridiculous fear-mongering. Think about how absurd these scenarios really are. They are as absurd as the scary anti-Sandinista stories in the eighties which tried to convince the US govt that a very economically poor Cuba, and an increasingly economically challenged Soviet Union was going to take over Nicaragua, then take over a number of countries between Nicaragua and Mexico, and then takeover Mexico and attack the US from the taken over (conquered?) Mexico. That was absurd. It wasn't going to happen and it never did happen. Indeed the public rejected those fear projections and the Congress de-funded any efforts to fund the Contras in Nicaragua. Of course that White House didn't believe it had to listen to Congress and illegally sold weapons to the "enemy" (who just a number of years earlier held US hostages for a very long time) - in order to raise and then funnel money to the Contras - against the will of the people and the law of he land.

So here we are again. But there is a larger industry (folks making tons of money) in selling the fear. However if one starts pushing for any *rational* explanation of how this "taking over of America" by "Jihadists" could happen - there is none. Just jingoistic and cynical referrals to 911 - apparently thinking that no one noticed that we didn't collapse as a country, and weren't taken over and forced to convert religions as a result of 911. In no means do I intend to downplay the horror of 911 - just trying to point out at those who use the imagery today, often are selling an irrational fear - and often one that they do not share themselves - but it sure does help sell/make/raise money/get votes.

I know that typing this at DU is preaching to the choir. I just get so tired of hearing rhetoric that borders on this fear meme (esp the flypaper type rhetoric) - which is not nearly called out for the ridiculous tripe that it is. Politically inspired fear propaganda, which itself (the propaganda) is much more real than the fabricated "threat".

Let the bushyears end quickly, and let the malfeasance which has soaked through the GOP party take both the Cowboys and their whole party with them out the door of American Government - and far, far away from policy making and from microphones. A trip to the Hague would be an interesting stop along the way out of the door.

[NanceGreggs]

1. AMEN!!!

GREAT piece, salin!

K & R!

[salin]

2. I take that as high praise, Nance

many thanks.

[MikeNearMcChord]

3. Thinking is too much for most of these types

Never mind that Saddam hated Osama, and did not want to turn Iraq into a theocracy, never mind that Islam has two distinct divisions, never mind that the Shia would might as well be Jews or Christians in the mind of the Wahabbist Al-Qaida. Islam is the new bad guy, a replacement for the Nazis and Commies of old.

[ms liberty]

4. K&R n/t

[MN ChimpH8R]

5. Great post

When I hear Chimpoleon and the Reichwing talking heads natter on endlessly about "fight em there so we don't have to fight 'em here" my first question is "How would they get here??" They are six freaking thousand miles away!

Let's see, they have no air force, no navy, much less a high seas navy, no intercontinental ballistic missiles. Just how would they get here? Swim? I remain mystified. The same craziness was parroted during the Vietnam war? Did I miss something or did the Vietnamese soomehow not take over Hawaii and the West Coast even though they won the war?

Here the Vietnam analogy is quite applicable. Two groups were fighting for control of the country, there the NVA/VC and the SV government. They didn't begin to hate each other down to the bones the way the Shia and Sunnis do - they've been waiting to wipe each other out for 900 years. After the Vietnam war ended things weren't pretty for a while but there was nothing like the madness that went on in Cambodia, and people rebuilt their lives and their country into the rapidly developing country it now is. And with which we have diplomatic relations.

If I am a Sunni insurgent in Iraq, I hate the Americans for occupying my country and keeping me from killing Shia. If the Americans weren't around I wouldn't give one dry shit about them. The Shia look at it exactly the same way. The self-describle "al Qaeda in Iraq" types are few in number and, being Sunni, wouldn't last long if the Shia win the civil war. Sometimes people just have to have a civil war and that's the position the Iraqis are in right now. The only sane thing to do is bring the troops home and get an international force in place to make sure the carnage is contained within Iraq's borders.

[Sweet Freedom]

6. Wait, I can answer how they would get here...

See, we're fighting the Iraqis over there so we don't have to fight the ones who are already over here (they were able to get into the country because there's no wall between us and Mexico.) The ones over here are just waiting for the signal. They haven't attacked yet because they want to catch us off guard.

See. It makes prefect sense!

[tavalon]

7. It does take a rather dull mind

to buy this line of fear mongering. Unfortunately, about 30% of our population has just such a limited mind. Sheep they are, mindless, obedient sheep.

[warren pease]

8. So I take it you're not concerned with Cuba, a mere 90 miles from our sacred soil...

Run by a ruthless octogenarian tool of the Red Menace, pushing free health care and education on an unsuspecting populace, and threatening to spread these godless communist practices to Florida and beyond.

Man! You just don't get it, do you. Dangers lurk at every turn, why aren't you terrified? Why are you reminding me that these islamifascists want to spread death, destruction and, worst of all, a heathen religion in our noble christian nation? I've got to go now. I have a bible reading at 6:00, and there's a lynching to follow.


/sarcasm off


wp

[salin]

10. Yes, you could safely say that

[mopinko]

9. but we have been taken over by jihadists- christian ones.

[salin]

11. There is an irony in the similarity of the imposed social rules between

the fundies of the different religions - isn't it.

But I don't think we have been "taken over" - while Jr still sits at the top - seems to me that the power has been steadily waning - and could be kicked out the backdoor (per serious political power) over the coming years. Seems that the takeover isn't complete - they weren't fast enough as public sentiment has seriously turned against them - and still has a remnant of power in our system.

[bobbolink]

12. How 'bout this for a guess.... P-r-o-j-e-c-t-i-o-n

Just to get all psychological on ya.... I'm thinking these are the people who would, if they could manage it, have everyone adhere to the beliefs they, themselves, hold.

They are, I'm guessing, the same ones who would pass laws governing the control of the bodies of others: i.e., abortion, etc.

I'm guessing this is the same mentality that wants to insist that all children be taught "Creationism".

It's not surprising that people with such a strong desire to control others would fear that same control being foisted on them.

They are also people for whom LOGIC has no influence.

So, sing along with me, to the tune of "Tradition", from Fiddler On The Roof. "Projec-tion! ...Projection!"