2003 Column Archives
American People to Fear
By John Sammon
Jun 1, 2003, 15:14

It’s been said that people in Europe fear President Bush more than they did Saddam Hussein. I’m not afraid of Bush that much. I’m afraid of the American people, half of them. Knuckleheads in government come and go, but the recent climate of intolerance during the Iraq conflict shows that a substantial portion of the populace not only don’t respect freedom of speech, but want punitive action taken against so called dissenters.

Take the Dixie Chick, the head gal from that rock band. She apologized to her red neck fans for her criticism of Bush’s war rather than suffer loss of career through a boycott or other punishments. These are the same fans who watch wrestling on TV, hop in a four-by-four truck with Confederate flag on the back, and jam down the highway flipping you the bird because you’re only going the speed limit.

I hope they’re satisfied. The Dixie Chick spoke her mind. She has to pay. I think it’s called black mail. The black list can’t be far behind.

It goes beyond just disagreement. The right wing wants you to lose your job too, because of your political view. They call you un-American. As one pro-war hawk said of the Dixie Chick, “There are consequences for that (anti-war) view.”

The spirit of Joe McCarthy is alive and well in America.

Let’s look at this logically, although some of you reading this are illogical people.

If I said a Nazi regime should take over Washington and start killing Jews, such an opinion would at least seem to justify an angry response (though I still respect freedom of opinion without threats, punishment or jail). But to get angry at someone who opposed Bush’s war plans, at their very best, a highly risky, precedent-breaking move in which compelling reasons for both war and peace can be made…….to call such people un-American or disloyal………is lunacy.

To hate the French and rename French fries Freedom fries, is mental illness and fear (time for the rubber room) running amok. If it weren’t for the French, there would be no United States (most red necks don’t know history which makes intolerance easier for them).

It demonstrates that old saying, “When you get people scared enough, the beady eyes of the caveman peek out at you.”

Such people don’t care about the Bill of Rights (many Americans don’t know what it is), the Constitution, due process, innocent until proven guilty, or the alien thought that maybe critics of government policy might just possibly be motivated by sincere ideals, or maybe there might remotely possibly be a kernel of truth to what they say.

Do you know how things will work out every time the government takes a step? Are you a clairvoyant?

The only thing that will make these people mad is if you take away their television. They’ll go along with government taking away their rights (in the name of security). They’ll go along with locking up dissenters.

I’m more afraid of the rogue state here at home than I am of those overseas.