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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.
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