Year of Fear: Welcome to 2004

[Q]

- Welcome to a new year. A year in which George* the Ferocious will do whatever it takes to scare you into trusting him to protect America.

- If you don't vote for George*...there may or may not be another terrorist attack on America. You may or may not have a nuclear or 'dirty' bomb dropped on your head. There may or may not be an orange alert for the rest of your life.

- The problem? George* says that he's protecting you by invading countries that had nothing to do with attacks on our soil. This is called the 'Bush Doctrine' which consists of attacking/invading certain countries that may or may not have evil intentions toward the United States.

- For all of this to work for Bush*...you can't pay any attention to the man behind the curtain or talk about the fact that the countries he attacks have oil underneath them.

- If you thought the fear mongering in 2003 was bad...you ain't seen nothing yet. Bush* has no power and can't win in 2004 unless he can keep America afraid of its own shadow. Welcome to 2004. The Year of Fear.

[FDRrocks]

1. I agree except

isn't that invading countries thing called "blitzkrieg"? :)

[Q]

2. Bush* calls it 'another four years'...

...because he knows that as long as he can keep the country afraid and at 'war'...his chances of staying in office are VERY good.

[Mari333]

3. This is what its like to live in a fascist state with no free press

thats where we are headed, and no one cares.
Not one body bag
Not one dead soldier
Lies, all the time
No one holding them accountable.

[Q]

5. What's it like living in an episode of the 'Twilight Zone'?

- As you look around...few seem to be able to see what is so plain to some. They scoff at the words 'Bush Knew' and Fascism and ignore the clank as the gilded cage surrounds them.

- At what point will Americans realize that they're reliving a kinder, gentler version of Hitler's Germany?

[Saudade]

4. The problem

The Rove strategy of fear-mongering is very very difficult to defeat because people who are scared will naturally err on the side of caution, seeking more security from what is familiar (i.e., the incumbent). Also, Bush has the ability to instill fear at any moment, endlessly, merely by signaling a "orange alert," and no one will ever know if it's based on fact or not, which only increases the anxiety, hence the desire for security.

I don't think any Democratic candidate has any idea how to deal with this horrible state of affairs.

There is just no room for debate in the politics of fear; you either accept it or reject it. Apparently about 60% of Americans (at least) accept it.

[Q]

7. You've got it...which may or may not explain...

...why 9-11 was SO IMPORTANT to the Bushies. People tend to forget that Bush* was considered a rambling fool before that eventful day. Now the American media refers to him as the 'most popular president in wartime history'. Democrats are marginalized and war protestors shot with rubber bullets.

- It takes a 'special talent' to use FEAR so effectively to control a population of people. The Bushies will use fear as a blugeon against the Democratic candidate and the media will predict a 'landslide' for Bush*.

[mdmc]

6. fear, get behind me

Why couldn't :kick::kick: beat the gop fear machine

[Q]

8. The answer to that may be: he who controls the media controls the 'truth'.

- One very large problem remains: the media is PART of the fear machine.

- Although the talking head pundits will disagree...the American media has transformed itself into a STATE CONTROLLED media in the tradition of Pravda in the Soviet Union.

[Saudade]

9. Media

"One very large problem remains: the media is PART of the fear machine."

Nothing sells more papers than a new threat.

I believe that the politics of fear has the potential to destroy democracy.

[Q]

10. And what is the end result of the destruction of Democracy?

- We're already seeing the signs of what happens when the free press dies and fear is used to control the masses. The end result is a not-so-subtle form of fascsim that the people are powerless to stop.

[jbfam4]

11. I agree..........but

How can people be so naive (dumb) to think that this administration are the only ones who can protect us? They don't trust the dems on National Security according to all the spinners and talking heads.

Who was in charge when 9-11 took place? We weren't protected then .....how can they protect us now?

Keep hearing on talk shows that this administration must be doing something right since there haven't been any more attacks.......That doesn't mean we are being proteced. It just means the terrorists haven't their plans in place yet. It took three years to plan 9-11.

[Q]

13. There are 'perceptions' and 'illusions' of protection..

...and that's all George* needs during a 'time of war'.

- Many don't seem to understand why the Bushies made 9-11 into a 'war on terrorism' instead of an investigation and prosecution of a criminal act. 9-11 gave George* and the Neocons everything they've ever wanted: perpetual war and a national security state. What a coincidence.

[Mairead]

33. " It just means the terrorists haven't their plans in place yet"

Or that 911 wasn't the kind of terrorist attack we were told it was. Think of all the 'unexplained' bits that fit with a 'Northwoods'-type attack, but not with an unexpected one by foreign forces.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

12. fear sells!....fear and consume bush* motto......bush* economy

[Q]

14. Fear doesn't 'sell' without a willing buyer...

...and that's where the Bush* propaganda teams come into play. Remember when the arrogant Bushies actually admitted that some of their 'alerts' were being used to teach Democrats a 'lesson'? The orange alerts have nothing to do with terrorism...it's a poltical ploy to keep Democrats and dissenters on the defensive.

[Junkdrawer]

15. I think the only question is: How close to the election will the attack be

and still not arouse WIDESPREAD suspicion.

[Q]

16. Hmm...sounds suspiciously like a 'conspiracy theory'...

- Will there have to be another 'attack'...or can George* simply turn up the Fear Factor in order to influence the election?

- Please remember that we live in a nation that buys duct tape by the tons when Bush's* homeland security forces say they're going to be gassed.

- I think it's safe to say that America is already sufficiently frightened to do anything the Bushies want them to do. But it's to our benefit to ask these questions. Will the Bushies influence the 2004 election with terror? You can count on it.

[Junkdrawer]

20. The "Orange Alert" game grows thin. They had to give it a several...

month rest before the current invocation just to get an effect. Nah, I think they'll have to up the ante. Now, we've never done a "Red Alert"...

[SammyWinstonJack]

32. True

They can only cry "wolf" for so long. When their current attempts to scare us no longer has the desired effect, they WILL have to "up the ante." Red terra lert or another LIHOP/MIHOP. Anyway one looks at it, we are in for 10 months of fear mongering to be sure. Frankly, it's disgusting that so many in this Country continue to fall the BS! WAKE UP! America!

[Junkdrawer]

21. PS: It's not a 'conspiracy theory', it's a 'conspiracy prediction'...

Big Difference. :evilgrin:

[Minstrel Boy]

17. Welcome to the End Game, folks.

In one corner, the Octopus, the neocons and the petrocrats, scrambling to sew up the world's dwindling resources and sap the strength of not only America's potential adversaries, but putative allies as well. Draining the wealth and the hope of a nation and a world. Republic into Empire, elections into sham pantomimes. Corruption upon corruption, wars upon wars, and a New World Order under the heel of American force of arms.

In the other, us.

I hesitate to get Middle Earth on you here, but doesn't it feel a little like The Final Battle, and don't you feel just a little like a hobbit?

Do you feel the world holding its breath, awaiting a clue as to what it must do next? Has the World Machine truly arrived? And how can it be opposed?

The board is set. The pieces are moving.

[Q]

18. At the same time...as the 'pieces move'...

...we have to wonder if the board has a magnet underneath it to make illegal moves.

- I can't help but bring up Orwell's "1984" in the context of how Bush's* state-controlled media helps to keep our country afraid of a faceless enemy.

- The Bushies tell us that this faceless enemy is SO dangerous that we must trade our freedom for security. But every DUer understands that what Bush* offers is only an illusion of security.

- The reality is that Neocons have full control of our foreign policy and fundamentalist zealots are using religion to make George* appear as a prophet and warrior for God.

- Democrats need to understand that we're in deep trouble and respond to it accordingly.

[Minstrel Boy]

22. And the board is theirs.

I believe the dirty tricks we'll see this year will surpass anything yet seen in American political history.

They own the media. They count the votes. They have buttons to push labeled fear and war, and have shown no shame about pushing them when less was at stake.

Will we see more convenient "accidents"? The return of the crazed "lone gunman"? War hysteria? The October Surprise capture of bin Laden? An attack on the scale of 9/11 which, the great American Tommy Franks has said, will trigger the arrival of martial law?

Over how many dead bodies will Bush be re-selected?

I'm not without hope, but I've been dreading this year since the Fall of 2001.

[AlienGirl]

26. Sometimes I long for the release of the tension

If the Unimaginable happens this year, I will be as ready as anyone. I have always expected it; I live among those who have always expected it.

Sometimes I long for the release; if the enemy moves, at least we will see his face. This endless waiting, this tension, is getting old...

Bring. It. On.

Tucker

[Minstrel Boy]

27. I know that feeling well

I don't know when I last felt this knot leave my neck, and my shoulders relax. It's been that way, I think, since Selection Night. The new normal, Rumsfeld would say.

Still, lots of people walking around looking like they don't know the world's been turned upside down. Sometimes the blue pill looks good.

[DemoTex]

19. "The Year of Fear"

Starring The Mad-Cow Boy. All-over everywhere between now and early November.

[The River]

23. Just Say

NO MORE in '04

[bobthedrummer]

24. There will be the Saddam Hussein Show Trial during an election year.

It's already started. I'd like to thank the Kurds for not killing him and handing him to Bush for that.

[Q]

25. That could definitely help Bush*...

...especially when you consider that the media has done absolutely nothing to dispel the rumor they helped start that Saddam was 'connected' to 9-11.

- But this isn't the type of FEAR he needs to influence the election. He's needs FEAR as cover for election fraud or the fact that he's the worst president in American history.

[populistmom]

28. My biggest fear

Is that even if people manage to see through all the garbage we're being fed, elections won't be free or fair and there will be no way of verifying the votes.

[Q]

31. My concern is about the casual use of 'terra alerts'...

...whenever the Bushies want to distract from something. I'm still looking for the link and story when the Bushies admited that 'some' alerts in the past were used to teach naysayers a lesson. Anyone remember this one? If so...give us a link.

- Counting votes and paper trails will forever be a concern after all that has happened since the 2000 election. The lack of investigation on the part of the government can be traced directly back to Ashcroft's 'get the prostitutes and pipe makers' justice department.

[LunaC]

29. Join the quiet revolution

The Whispering Campaign
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=976762

[Wapsie B]

30. Good idea.

"I just don't trust him." Repeat this to everyone you talk to. Plant the seeds of doubt.

[Q]

34. I like the idea of this 'campaign'...

..In fact...any kind of campaign at this point could only help.