Now It’s Iran

While I was doing the treadmill thing in the gym yesterday, I couldn’t help but pay attention to a flat screen television just above my head and slightly off to the left. The TV was tuned to Fox News which was incredibly shrieking the question “Does Iran Want War?”

Aside from this representing a new low in responsible journalism, given that Fox tends to be the right wing water tester I imagine this is the opening salvo in a two pronged attack that I expect to see developed over the next few months. The first prong is simply using the ongoing difficulties with the Iranian nuclear program as a means of distracting the American public from all of the catastrophes already foisted on the country by the current Republican Administration. I expect to be inundated by shrill cries from the administration, and the media, that I should be overwhelmed by the fear of what the Iranians might do if they develop nuclear weapons.

While I don’t relish the prospect of the Islamic religious fruitcakes in Tehran having atomic weapons as well as the Bush Christian religious fruitcakes having atomic weapons in Washington, I’m getting a little tired of being told I should be afraid. We have become a nation that uses fear to establish policy. I’m not sure which is worse, the administration’s traffic in fear, or the media’s constant drumbeat about things we should be afraid of. We’re supposed to be afraid of everything. We’re supposed to be afraid of the nasty forces of evil in the world; we’re supposed to be afraid of crime; we’re supposed to be afraid of growing old; we’re supposed to be afraid of being ugly; we’re supposed to be afraid of being unpopular; we’re supposed to be afraid of dying; we’re supposed to be afraid of becoming sick; we’re supposed to be afraid of becoming poor and we’re supposed to be afraid of God.

You know what? Screw it. What ever happened to the idea of facing life head on and unafraid?

The second prong will undoubtedly be all about how the Iranians are the ones asking for trouble, in fact the ones that WANT trouble, so whatever the Bush loonies decide to do it will all be the Iranians fault.