You know, channel surfing before dinner. Anyways, he mentioned an article by Paul Krugman called 'Fearing Fear Itself' I went to my computer, hit "Stumble!" on my toolbar and came up with the story. In it, he says And I guess I've always felt this way but never really been able to put it in such simple phrase. Don't you think he is right?
Suuuuuure! So many things went wrong after 9/11 (response, etc.) but it was such a new thing to everyone that no one really complained at the time. Now that the shock factor has worn off, people are starting to "snap out of it", so to speak, and are coming up with their own complaints, conspiracy theories, etc. I personally think the official reaction relayed to the public was a little "holy shit, what do we do?". In a way, we were being threatened in "every direction". Not just from terrorism directly, but by making an even bigger deal out of it. We lost lots of freedoms and privacies that are a big deal, atleast to me. This was a direct result of the "what do we do?" attitude that began in the administration after 9/11. Only now though are we really beginning to understand how they're milking that mentality for all it's worth and really continuing to screw us over.
OK, but what was the source of the story? I don't even deny that it's probably the truth, but it most certainly came from a liberally slanted source.
Who else in the history of the US has witnessed two buildings on the mainland no less with 3000 people (death toll was unknown of course in the wake of 9/11, could've been in the tens of thousands for all we knew) get smashed and knocked down, along with the Pentagon getting hit, and at least one plane headed to who knows where all orchestrated by an enemy somewhere. What were they supposed to say, "um we'll arrest these people" and "it's not that bad". People were freakin angry, hence what's his face, the terrible actor, Richard Gear getting booed trying to push his soft and fuzzy let's hug everyone crud onto the crowd. They would've had riots on their hand if they had just curled up into a little ball or talked about arresting mean men who did some bad stuff to us. I really didn't see this as fear mongering, they had to react someway, I certainly wasn't duct taping up plastic sheets over the gaps in my bedrooms waiting for the dirty bombs to go off.
As I stated the article is from Paul Krugman, who has an Op-ed piece in the New York Times. So sure, call it a liberal source if you want.
So what did Bill O'Reilly have to say about what Paul Krugman wrote? or did you not watch long enough to find out?
Yep. The New York Times is a liberal rag. I consider myself to be conservative to moderate, and prefer as unbiased media as possible. It seems that the further to the left or right a person is they either read the New York Times or Rush Limbaugh. It's like I tell my frothing-at-the-mouth conservative friend Bethany: "You use media in the same way a drunk uses a light post. More for support than illumination..."
Fear mongering was a given.....as a political tool. Our government, as it is, will use all means, at it's disposal, to get it's way. That's what politics is all about, The repubs do it, the dems do it. the power struggle between the two main parties is so great, it has taken on a life of it's own and doing the will of "we the people" doesn't even enter the equation. look at your monthly tax bill. do you realize how much of that amount is pure and simple waste? We may as well be turning the gold we trade a significant portion of our lives for into dog terds.
I am tired of being told to be afraid which seems to be coming from every direction we look. 90% of what comes from the media screams BE AFRAID!!!! Hell the whole damn country drops a big brown one everytime the wind blows. Government and Religion get a hard-on every time they use the "Fear Card" and I'm sick of it. Their must be more to life than being afraid of everything in the world. How much longer are we going to be afraid?
Reminds me of Bowling for Columbine. I despise Michael Moore, but in that movie he made some great points about fear mongering in this country.
i haven't been afraid of anything this entire time. but then again i don't know if i fit as a typical American anymore. I'm starting to think other countries are doing things better.
