"....even so our anger controlled can be transmitted into a power that can move the world" Gandhi

(this article was inspired by this post in hopes of starting a new dialogue, i've posted it apart from the original. i'd hate to have my thoughts lost in a cacophony of hatred and conjecture.)

I'm so proud to live in a country where dopes can preach their passions and rally other dopes behind them. Americans, myself included, never cease to amaze me with our ADD and issue of the day. The war against terror is not a battle of Republicans vs. Democrats as all so often try to make it. There is not a collective enemy, even, rather a delusional ideal of hatred embraced by disillusioned mentally ill lost sheep the world abound. The source is somewhere amongst the sands of the Middle East, but its reach is global. We, as human beings, are just as threatened by a group of punks down the street as we are religious fanatics from Canada to London to Argentina and back.

Those who continue to preach the evils of the Republicans or Democrats, divide the country at a time when unity is crucial. Withdrawing the troops now would end in certain disaster. I'm not keen on the idea that kids my age and younger are sacrificing their lives in a "mirage" war formed in the name of terrorism, but one singular voice cannot change this fact. Certainly our individual voices must be heard by the masses are we to start a dialogue. In all societies the only conduit by which this comes to pass is by choosing a "side." One stokes the fires of hatred with comments such as, "Terrorists are not the threat to America, Republican fear-mongerers are!" Off with Bush's head! Take up your pitchfork and storm the castle, that'll solve our nation's problems. I hope, of course, that you did not mean this.

Terror can destroy peace in the United States. Terrorists are shouting fire in a crowded theater and the media's providing the microphone and the platform. Is the administration using fear tactics to reach into the coffers of their fellow fundamentalists dopes? Yes. Fear is non-judgemental and pervasive. It finds its victim and feeds off itself, ripping the fabric of an otherwise peaceful reality to pieces.

The Fundamentalist Republican mindset is based in the "fear" of God. The Fundamentalist Democrat mindset is based on the "infinite love" of God. Both are polar extremes of a perceived truth. There exists middle ground and in that middle ground a sense of solace can be found. We, as the richest per capita people in the entire world, can rally together, support the current disposition which we can't control while WORKING to change that which we can. Spewing fear-based conjecture such as, "W and Co. are only interested in robbing you and your country blind," or "they are robbing you of your life, liberty and pursuit of justice every single day," on a website helps no one.

The country is not on the verge of a total meltdown. Turn off your televisions, release your internet connections, head to the woods for a day and you'll see the wizard for his grand illusion; a weapon of mass confusion funded by fear and aided by division. Unite. Stay the course and fight for that in which you believe. Invest your passion into volunteering for the party you believe has the right answers. "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself," is a true statement. Fear the harm caused by the impotence of your words and inaction. Fear the fear you harbor unnecessarily and realize that the change must start with you.