Our Nation is Addicted to Fear -- Is There a Remedy to Bush's Drug?

Good afternoon, fellow members of the Democratic Underground,

Yesterday I posted the following thread entitled "Where's the Outrage? Where's the Anger":
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=1635445&mesg_id=1635445

Needless to say my rant was met with both support and dissent. Fair enough. I like to promote discussion on the really difficult subjects. Nonetheless, after monitoring and reading through the thread, I have observed one common trend among the various posters. (For those who lurked and/or posted I thank you for taking the time to read and/or provide your input.)

The one common link that I noticed was that Americans do not seem to be aware, awake, or concerned about what is happening with our country. We can attribute this to a variety of circumstances ranging from a media controlled by stockholders and corporations to sympathy for George Bush due to the trauma associated with the events of September 11, 2001. I don't think many would disagree with me when I say that it is a combination of historical factors -- both in the past and recent history -- that have lead to this peculiar complacence to the Bush administration. I believe that the deciding and central emotion in all of this is fear… Plenty of people have speculated as to why our nation is seemingly blind to the rampant corruption around them; however, few have come forward with ideas as to how to alleviate this condition in our national conscience. Quite honestly it is like having a loved one who has an addiction that is severely affecting the whole family. Such an addiction can literally tear a once tight nit family apart, and make former loved morph into the most heinous of fiends.

I believe that our country is currently suffering from a similar malady. Only our addiction has come in the form of national security. Fear for our safety. Fear that our way of life is threatened. These worries, rooted in fear, have become the drug that some in our nation simply cannot do without. The Bush administration has preyed upon this addiction by exploiting the fear that emerged in the American psyche as a result of the events of September 11, 2001. Some have called it the "politics of fear" and aptly so. The Bush administration is the pusher -- the loathsome hawker of the heroin, the cocaine, the crank that is our blind pursuit of "national security." They have drawn our American brethren in through weapons of mass deception, through words that illicit frightening images of another "terrorist attack" that is always right around the corner as indicated by words and a color-coded system. What were the words of Condoleeza Rice and Richard Bruce Cheney, "We don't want the smoking gun to come in the form of a mushroom cloud?" No matter what generation you represent, there is not one among us who do not feel a sense of dread at the thought of such nuclear imagery...

Let me say that I realize full well that this addiction has not affected everyone in our country, and your very presence on this website is testament to that fact. However, I can say that I was once one of those who was addicted to the drug that Bush and his gang are brokering. After the events of 2001, I fell for the initial pitch and for a while I was hooked. Yes, surely there are many others here who were frightened by the vicious attack upon our country. Like those who continue to support Bush and his policies, we wanted a resolution to the barbaric attacks upon our nation. However, our paths diverged at some point for a variety of reasons -- maybe it was the War on Iraq, the approach taken in the War of Terror... Who knows? The fact of the matter is that we know that we have either broken the habit or never had it to begin with, but how?

Yesterday in the aforementioned thread I hinted at a sort of "tough love" approach to solving this addiction problem. I came forward with an idea that has been breached by Representative Rangel -- a draft. My thinking was along the lines that perhaps the "shock and awe" of such an approach could wake America up to the reality of Bush's nefarious nature. There were those who agreed that such a plan would definitely succeed, some which were adamantly opposed to a draft no matter what end it sought -- both sides of the issue are reasonable positions in my mind. This brings me to the crux of this particular thread...

Let's take our minds away from the problem and begin a sort of brainstorming as to how we can intervene for the better of our countrymen. Let us not think of the problem itself, but first come up with a list of solutions and then work our way backwards. Some of you may be familiar with this approach from childhood when it comes to solving a maze. Well, this issue is very much like that because there are a variety of obstacles that we have to face to reach the much desired end. My proposition to you, all the many wonderful and articulate minds here on the Democratic Underground, that we form a strategy to end our countrymen's addiction to what the Bush cartel is hawking. My challenge to you is that we develop a clear, systematic, and truly compassionate approach to ending the addiction at the grass roots. After all, it is in the grass roots that most of the problem resides, for who would debate how powerless the Neo-Cons in power would become if we could foment a public outcry against the madness that has overtaken our country? My challenge to you is that we begin to collect ideas for a national remedy that will rid us of the senseless addiction to fear that has so gripped our nation.

So, I'm asking for ideas that will begin online that can become concrete enough to be enacted, not behind the keyboard or in your night clothes, but in cities and towns across America to affect and bring about change. This addiction to fear -- ignorance or whatever, call it what you will -- must be stopped if we are to preserve the country that we all love so much. Remember that as much as we may get annoyed with the other side, they are motivated by a misguided love of country that has lead to a serious addiction to safety prompted by fear. Realize that our collective love for this country is the one truly unifying factor between US and THEM. With that realization, put down your dislike -- in some cases hatred -- of Republicans and the Right for the better interest of our country. The founding fathers and mothers were a wise and imperfect bunch of individuals, but they had a truly great and revolutionary concept – that a nation of different religions and ideals could exist peacefully and prosper. In closing I leave you with the words of Ben Franklin in these most trying times, "United we stand, divided we fall." Take what you will from that wisdom, but please do join me and others in crafting a remedy for our country.

BIG NOTE: I'm trying to focus on SOLUTIONS for the time being -- not the problem and how it is "oh so impossible to overcome." SOLUTIONS people and once we have our solutions we will throw out the impossible or highly improbable. For now we have to come up with solutions and then decide which are viable and which are fanciful at best. Thanks so much for your input, and I would appreciate positive input toward solving the problem, not naysayers or those telling the obvious... SOLUTIONS, for now people, think SOLUTIONS. We already know what the problem(s) are!

We don't know the reasons why 1500 soldiers are dead.

We obviously were lied to...why?

We obviously are being held in fear with media support...why?


I'm afraid the answer could be harsh. The marketing and media's job is to keep the US people "dumbed down" to the reality that the US empire is on "borrowed time".. why so?

* the end game for oil is real and all countries are after it

* our currency is a mess becuase of our debt, trade deficits and more

We are militarily trying to accomplish something that will only PISS OFF many many people.

How do you propose we get a new media as transparency is wholly improbable given this administration's record?

Whatever solutions are offered they must be framed in an emotional context because fear is most certainly an emotional reaction and to overcome it, the solution must be equally or more powerfully emotional.

My thinking at the moment is that nothing short of "lynch mob mentality" will turn the nation's citizenry against this administration. Unfortunately, it may take that kind of effort. Villanize Dubya and his minions so completely that the masses turn against them.....much like the Italian people did with Mussolini....

Just some initial thoughts.

btw: I appreciate your efforts to start a discussion

"Yesterday in the aforementioned thread I hinted at a sort of "tough love" approach to solving this addiction problem. I came forward with an idea that has been breached by Representative Rangel -- a draft. My thinking was along the lines that perhaps the "shock and awe" of such an approach could wake America up to the reality of Bush's nefarious nature. There were those who agreed that such a plan would definitely succeed, some which were adamantly opposed to a draft no matter what end it sought -- both sides of the issue are reasonable positions in my mind. This brings me to the crux of this particular thread..."

A draft right now would result is opposition to Bush policy. Bush and Rove will be sure to ratchet up the fear level a few notches before making any such proposal. He reintroduced Bin Laden to the discussion after a long and conspicuous absence. They are no dabblers in the politics of fear.

logic is this: if we, the Democrats, propose, campaign for, push, and pass this measure, how is the name of Holy Hell, does this cause the American voter to be mad at Bush, rather than at us???

This is more a Rube Goldberg scheme than a Democratic Rovian scheme, which is what I think you're trying to develop.

We are in truly pathetic shape electorally when we have to try to make things worse so the voters will see things our way. Perhaps they will, if we can cover up who was behind this irresponsible scheme, but I think rather they will turn on us and give the Republicans their longed for 60 in the Senate.

And that's just for trying. It will never succeed because, well, the Republicans happen to be in control of both Congress and the White House. I doubt they will be willing to co-operate with us in dismantling their little dream house.

As long as it was a fringe character like Charlie Rangel proposing this, it probably didn't matter. Nobody takes Rangel for a serious player. But if this gets to be the ideas of the leadership, the we need new leaders, pronto.

So, I am not going to advocate for a draft that will lead to my only son sacrificing his life,....will lead to me sacrificing my only son.

I'm all for exposing the neoCONs' deceitful/manipulative propaganda, war profiteering and pre-9/11 plans to control the Middle East in addition to their plans to profiteer from Americans at home. I think we need more Sy Hersches getting that info out there.

"...they are motivated by a misguided love of country that has lead to a serious addiction to safety prompted by fear."

(But first, your question is an excellent one and has been on my mind. Especially after speaking with a co-worker yesterday -- one other than our resident Freeper -- and having him tell me he voted for Bush because he considers him "the best man for the times" (?!), but he was astonished to hear over 100,000 Iraqis have been killed in the "march of freedom" and that gave him pause -- and after telling him a few other facts, he fell quickly into the old standby position when things get too hot -- abortion rights -- but didn't have much to say after I mentioned Bush has aborted tens of thousands of fully-formed, funtional human beings with his brutal policies....)

Anyway, in speaking with Freepers and other brutal/ill-informed souls, love of country is not what emanates from them. Perhaps there are some who love their country, but on the whole what comes across is bigotry, narrow-mindedness, superficial/distorted/perverted understanding of spiritual principles, fear of reality and a dearth of common sense. The ones I've spoken to have so indoctrinated themselves with Coulter/Hannity/Scarborough/Limbaugh/Savage, it comes as an utter shock to them that a Democrat is capable of unequivocally stating love of country.

I have to think more on what can be done to "wake up" Americans; in spite of what I've said above, I do try to keep an open mind when in conversation with someone so out of it, they voted for the man on whose watch the Towers came down out of a sense of reality that tells them the the best man for the job is the one who failed monumentally at it in the first place... In conversation with these folks, though, I do find they are willing to listen if I am, and if I don't punch them with the facts, but quietly ease them in...

Will give this topic more thought.

"The founding fathers and mothers were a wise and imperfect bunch of individuals, but they had a truly great and revolutionary concept – that a nation of different religions and ideals could exist peacefully and prosper."

How has that worked out?

I don't say I have no idea how to wake the country up because I haven't thought about it. Hell, it's all I seem to think about.

I don't know if anyone, or any group, can do it. Fear is part of our DNA. Just like eveything else, it can be both good and bad, depending on the situation.

What you're asking is to try to bring about another revolutionary concept. It was done once in this country, and we're back facing square one again. It's been done many times around the globe, throughout human history, and we're back to facing square one again.

I like your utopia, but I don't think it's possible. This country has never lived peacefully. Everyone has never prospered.

I want that world that you describe. I think you're fighting a losing battle though. We all are. It's a hell of a challenge that you propose. I just don't think humanity is up to it.

The objective is a means to get America back on track. Our nation has never been perfect, but I know damn well that we are headed way down the wrong road in the wrong direction. But question is how we get rid of the fear that has blinded us so that we can continue on the right road, sometimes in the wrong direction, but toward higher goals. This is not happening under the present administration, and I am seeking to promote discourse as to HOW to fix that problem -- not find a way to live peacefully, bring about Utopia, or stop fear or war... The idea of peace or Utopia is a fantasy, a dream and not a vision. How do we fix the VERY real problem we have in this country because of the Bush agenda?

,...of the neoCONs who have betrayed and manipulated them into spending their blood and treasure to profit corporacrats?

Hell, wouldn't that be a more realistic, more present danger than the bullshit propaganda spewed by the neoCONs?

Maybe, we should concentrate on showing the people just how the neoCONs' plans are frightening.

There's an idea! I like it! Now, what does everyone else think?

?

Does that disturb you?

Your oppressive tactics are horrifying.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x1635235


(edited to add link for definition of bullying.)

"How do we fix the VERY real problem we have in this country because of the Bush agenda?"

what that agenda is, there's no other way to do it. Some people will buy it, others won't. People will vote after that discussion, and we'll see what happens. I'm not sure what else you're looking for. I'm not quite sure what you mean by "how". You either physically fight, or have a debate.

"But question is how we get rid of the fear that has blinded us so that we can continue on the right road, sometimes in the wrong direction, but toward higher goals."

Education.

How do you get rid of the fear though? I don't know, that's always there. Has always been there, is there, and will always be there. The fear of "the other" is always simmering within a certain portion of the population.

,...utilized by the neoCONs doesn't deny the existence of fear.

Does it? :shrug:

I just don't understand the question of "how" we accomplish that goal. The same way it's always been done. You either fight it out with the last person standing as the winner, or you have a debate, a vote, and live with whatever happens. Then try again the next time a vote is coming up.

Other than telling people how the use of language can manipulate that fear that is there, there's not a whole lot that can be done. And not everyone will buy it. They can turn around and say, "you're using language to make me fearful of the neocons".

How do you overcome the fear? Have a discussion. Or beat it out of them.

:shrug:

solutions that are worse than the problems, or at least don't help and cost something? In medicine it's called "quackery".

Just finished watching Bowling for columbine and the jest of that movie was pretty much what you are saying. America is ruled by fear..."Home of the Brave"..what a joke. Americans are terrified......Let's all go buy us a gun to keep us safe, no matter that because of the huge amounts of guns we are the least safe of any citizen from any country. The movie contrasted Canada with the US and a main part of Canada's lack of fear was the citizens knew their government cared for them and protected them. In the good ol' USA it is every man for himself and the terrorist aka black men are right around the corner. Media is complicit. Fear breeds consumption and God knows Americans are into consumption.

How many "disease of the week" articles have you read? SOme of us carry are so over-insured it is pathetic. How many safety labels do you need before a little common sense tells you that something can be misused or abused?

But how can we wake Americans up to the problem in Washington when so many have been manipulated into thinking that everything is okay despite the fear tactics and lies?

Widespread Mass Deprogramming

A dated, but very relevant article.....


Grappling With the Politics of Fear

By Don Hazen, AlterNet. Posted November 25, 2002.


an excerpt:


At some point, fear turns into anger. Right now, though, that anger seems entirely directed against Saddam or bin Laden, not against the Administration's lies and manipulations. The trick is in turning the tide. As senior SEIU union organizer Jane McAlevey notes, "Every time we organize a new union chapter, fear is a big factor – people's jobs are being threatened. But fear can be overcome, we do it all the time and win."

Transcending fear and redirecting anger requires a host of ingredients that need developing – both for Democrats and for progressive advocates. Messages focusing on the theme that we are not alone, that many millions share our values, are important. Investment in independent infrastructure to communicate support in the absence of progressive values in the corporate press is necessary. Public events, where speakers can echo consistent messages, as well as house meetings, videos, viral marketing and online chats are all more "do it yourself" methods, but potentially potent means of communicating.

But just as important is the need for moral certainty and moral forcefulness from our side; we don't need clever or ironic messages at this time.

Adds Chao Gunther: "We are a powerful country because of our beliefs, our values; not our weapons or ability to bomb people back to the stone age. We need to speak with courage and conviction. Not enough of us are saying that Bush is wrong, and speaking with forcefulness about why."

At the same time we need to think bigger – much, much bigger – and for the long term, since it may be years before a combination of Democrats and progressives will succeed in dislodging the conservatives.

As Lakoff emphasizes, "The conservatives want to impose their world view on the country – permanently. This isn't just about taxes, or social programs, or prescription drugs, or the Iraq war. It is an attempt to take over the American mind and to impose strict father values on every aspect of our lives – in thousands of ways, great and small." He adds, "If progressives do not even see the scope of the danger, then we are in trouble."

Don Hazen is executive editor of AlterNet.


The entire article is worth reading @

http://www.alternet.org/story/14639

I had not come across it and I ardently appreciate your input in this most vital of discussions, friend. I will be sure to read the article that you have submitted to us right away.

some great food for thought for progressives.

treason against the people.

:kick:

Hope - that our nation is not going to go down under this insignificant little man who embarrasses me every time he opens his mouth. Even after I voted for him in 2000 (God forgive me!) I cringed whenever I heard one of his ridiculous statements and I turned the radio or TV off. There are millions more like me out there, that when they hear this fool say, re Iran, "All options are on the table," or "Soc Sec is in crisis," are cringing and saying to themselves, "Jeez, I screwed up voting for him." Plus, you gotta love that bankruptcy bill, middle and lower classes!!!

Knowledge - most of the uncomfortable people will want to tune out, as I did for 2 years. We can't let them. I had two friends YELL at me - one over the environment, one over the war. I got pissed at them at the time - but somewhere, in my brain, I started to wonder why they would be so passionate about my politics and their politics if they were not certain of where they stand. Now, I yell at my friends, and I see them backing away, trying to figure out what has happened to me. One said to me, You used to be a republican and not a radical - what happened? I responded, "I got informed, that is what happened!!!" GGGRRRRRRRRR!!! It is a long and hard battle, but the truth does win out (even in Germany, eventually) and we can never give up hope because when you lose hope, all is lost.

And if all is really lost, I will go kicking and screaming and fighting into the night.

that there are millions like you who have some honest "buyer's remorse" right about now (if not a total conversion). It's going to take everyone who sees the truth about this administration and is willing to "kick and scream and fight." Thanks for your encouraging story. You are in a unique position to speak about it to others, having a perspective from both sides. :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

No time now to flesh out what I mean - I'll do that tonight.

But the emphasis is right: WE HAVE TO TARGET THE FEAR. Frightened people are easily manipulated, and that's the root of it all.

FEAR is the condition that compels red-staters to take the DRUG.

No one likes being afraid. They will grasp at whatever alleviates their fear.

The Bush administration cranks up FEAR with one hand, and with the other hand offers the DRUG to alleviate that fear.

The Bush drug, like most drugs, is an escape from reality. When you partake of the Bush drug you go from a reality-based to a faith-based universe.

You feel safer because you believe Bush will protect you, even though rational analysis concludes his actions are making us less safe.

You feel righteous and secure in the embrace of Jesus Christ, even though Bush's polices in their effect are decidedly un-Christian.

As you wave the flag and put "support our troops" stickers on your gas-guzzling SUV you feel morally superior to those who object to the needless bloodshed and wasteful fuel consumption.

You keep taking the drug because without it you would have to admit that you have been duped, and that your patriotic and religious "values" are being corrupted by those who peddle the drug.

To quote a famous movie line: "You can't handle the truth!"

The question is, what can we, who value the truth no matter how unpleasant, break our fellow citizens of their addiction?

The real world has much to be afraid of, but Bush has them fearing the wrong things. Can we expose the real dangers, and offer a prescription that provides some of the security and moral certainty they crave?

I think your observations definitely have weight and I'm really glad you shared them.

Are the vast majority of us in imminent danger of being harmed by "terrorists" or having our freedom "stolen"?

Hardly. To the contrary, at this moment, any one of us, based upon stats, is more likely to either be hit by lightning or win the lottery.

Maybe a combination of exposing our people to both the neoCONs' deceptive manipulation and corruption and a more realistic picture of the dangers we face (lack of healthcare and security at home) would help to level the field of falsehoods.

I am still gravitating towards exposing the real dangers that the neoCONs present as a priority because,...well, because we have become such a ridiculously fear-filled society.

Manipulating the public through fear is the hallmark of the Bush administration. This fear wasn't created out of nothing -- 9/11 and anthrax primed the pump and Bush kept pumping.

Fear and insecurity are conditions that always exist to some degree. IGNORANCE and PREJUDICE are two others that Bush (or should I say Rove) have skillfully manipulated to their advantage.

In combating the advantages Bush has siezed, I wish it were as easy as using facts and logic to expose the real dangers. Cerainly, that needs to be part of our approach. Educating the public should always go hand in hand with good politics.

The hard part is getting the public to listen or to accept. When our message can't be discredited on the basis of merit, our messengers are smeared and unfairly discredited. It becomes a matter of taking up ideological sides and automatically rejecting the message because of the source. We are guilty of that to some degree as well, though I believe the sources we reject have been consistently guilty of deception and fraud.

I think what the Democratic Party needs to do is focus on some core issues where the Republican agenda is most vulnerable on merit. We need to have a positive alternative, we need to clearly and consistently articulate that message, and we need to stay away from rhetoric that offends or insults those we are trying to convert. Perhaps most importantly, we need leaders who cannot so easily be smeared and discredited by Rove and his corporate media allies. Many voters vote for person above policy.

Bush lies. His agenda is destructive. If we consistently tell the truth, skillfully articulate a positive alternative agenda, and offer candidates that appeal to voters, we are bound to make some progress.

P.S. Thanks for the kind words.

It depends on what kind of person he is.
For as long as I can remember America has had very fear orientated behavior. The place where it is most visible is in the news. Unfortunately fear prevents people from having the ability to objectively analyze situations and often leads to the people developing the wrong conclusions. Anger is also very similar to fear in the responses that it yields.

Fear is a primal emotion. It will always be present in the mix when people make choices in life. Looked at in the abstract, there are a limited number of ways to counter act the effects of a specific fear.

1) A fear can be debunked and shown to be false; people once were afraid to eat tomatoes because they thought they were poisonous.

2) People can acclimate themselves to the presence of a fear; Californians tend to be less frightened of earthquakes than Vermonters are.

3) People often choose to face a lesser fear when confronted by a greater one; "better the devil you know than the devil you don't know" is one example. Soldiers on D Day frontally assaulted machine gun nests rather than wait to face certain death pinned down on the sand.

4) Reassurance is a basic antidote to fear, "you're in good hands with Allstate". Full trust in the strength, competency, wisdom, and integrity of those in a position of authority mitigates many fears.

5) Hope can be pitted against fear, as in "the Tide is turning in our favor", or "we've done it before, we can do it again." Or "Here is the answer to our problems".

6) Active personal engagement dissipates the effects of fear. If it looks like the river is going to flood and wipe out everything that is important to you, going to its banks and helping fill sand bags for a levee re channels fear into empowerment.

7) Unity in the face of a threat lessons a sense of fear. The experience of Unity is an antidote to fear.

Those are the basic remedies. Which ones can we use? I'm going to take a break, and try to get specific in another follow up post

Dealing with fear, contrasting how Bush played compared to FDR. Themes that are relevant I think are personal empowerment through involvement, promoting and preserving our unity as a nation, and the competency of our leaders (Bush Admin.) to deal wisely with real threats:

FDR vs GWB ; Fear and the American Presidency

Franklin D. Roosevelt once said; "We have nothing to
fear but fear itself." George W. Bush frequently says;
"Be afraid, and vote for me." Grave threats faced our
nation under both Presidents, but no one would argue
the threats facing America under George W. Bush are
greater than those confronted under FDR. Issues of War
and Peace were never more dire than during Roosevelt's
Presidency. FDR faced major partisan divides, on War
and the Economy. He still pulled our nation together,
while partisanship under George Bush is more bitter
than it has been in generations. The difference, in
large measure, can be traced to their views on fear.
Franklin Roosevelt saw Fear as an enemy to be
vanquished so Americans could prevail in common
struggles. George Bush sees fear as a club to be
wielded so he can prevail over political opponents.

Where Franklin Roosevelt chose to empower America
against common foes, George Bush seeks to frighten
America about his foes. One of the oldest maxims of
American political philosophy; United We Stand,
Divided We Fall, has itself fallen forgotten by the
wayside. George Bush's Administration is more focused
on defeating "Liberals" who allegedly weaken America
from within, than terrorists who actually attacked
within America, and it shows. Homeland security is an
ongoing afterthought to this Administration. Our
National Guard, disproportionately made up of domestic
"first responders", is increasingly pinned down in
Iraq. The extra 30 Billion needed to significantly
increase inspection of cargo entering our ports, to
screen against explosives on airplanes, to upgrade
defenses at chemical and nuclear plants, and to secure
our vital infrastructure of bridges, tunnels, rails
and subways unfortunately is previously committed.
Where? Either to the 100 Billion dollar and rising
Iraq occupation tab, or to tax rebates for the rich,
take your pick.

George Bush is quick to point out that spending on
Homeland security tripled on his watch as compared to
Clinton's. Would anyone think to compare FDR's
spending on National security with Hoover's? Events
like the attack on Pearl Harbor, or the destruction of
the World Trade Center, make previous standards
irrelevant. What is needed are the resources to get
the job done. Had FDR merely tripled spending on
National Security, there might well be goose stepping
at Buckingham Palace today. When it came to invading
Iraq, the quiescent expression of a pre 9/11 mindset,
George Bush held nothing back in fulfilling his
obsession with destroying Saddam Hussein, except maybe
the 200,000 troops necessary for securing Iraq against
a destabilizing insurgency. Our treasury now
dangerously depleted, what is left for Bush to give
America are his fighting words, words aimed primarily
at fellow Americans who question his judgment and
priorities.

George Bush mistakes the questioning of his judgment
with an attack on America's resolve, as if his
personal conviction, and America's ultimate
protection, were one and the same. But the essential
strength of America lies in its people, not in a
passing occupant of the White House. When dangers
loomed FDR called on our strength, he mobilized our
people. While Americans once scrimped to buy Liberty
Bonds, now the wealthy pocket windfall tax relief.
Then America's poor tended victory gardens for our
troops. Now America's rich buy vacation homes for
their weekends. In George Bush's America no sacrifice
is too small to go unasked for. Unless of course you
are in the Middle Class, whose income is slipping, and
whose share of the burden of government is rising.
They are asked to keep quiet about it.

In fact there are exactly four responses that George
Bush calls on from the American people in the fight
against Global Terrorism. Number One; (and dwarfing
all the rest) Re-Elect Bush/Cheney. Number Two; Stay
Alert (a sleepy nation is a vulnerable nation). Number
Three; keep duct tape and plastic wrap handy (and
presumably know how to use it). Number four; keep your
eyes on the bouncing terror color code (but don't
alter any behavior accordingly). Those four things
plus the special whispered edict, prepared just in
time for this year's Presidential Elections: Be
afraid, be very very afraid, for terrorists can kill
you without any warning. There's absolutely nothing
you can personally do about it. You are completely
powerless, but George Bush is very powerful. How much
do you love your children? Vote Republican.

Bush is playing the fear card, and certainly there is
much to be feared. But Franklin Delano Roosevelt
always knew what George Walker Bush chooses not to;
while Fear can be used to cower America, it can never
be used to rally America. We are strongest as a nation
when our people unite, step forward, and act together
to overcome adversity. George Bush's polarizing
influence, both at home and abroad, has made America
weaker. In the annals of American history FDR is
recorded among the greatest of American war time
Presidents. George Walker Bush may go down as one of
our worst.

fear in order to manipulate the masses for his own benefit.

Your piece has some very important moral/ethical overtones to it as well.

Where one leader empowered the people he led in order to strengthen a nation, the other disempowered the people in order to achieve a personal goal.

It is a basic human emotion, it's not going to go away. It's not going to be conquered like small pox. It has a valid role in life, just as pain does. Animals with no pain receptors die from injuries they don't realize are worsening. Animals with no sense of fear are prey for predators, and predators easily find them.

Fear, like fire, is a tool. It can be used to heat a home or burn it down. Responsible leaders sound sage warnings and then empower and equip people to work together to protect and advance their mutual interests. Demagogues use fear to cower people into compliance, and to pit one group against another to keep opposition to their rule weak and disorganized. Skilled demagogues twist valid fears toward their own selfish ends.

While our nation was very young (1783) a silver smith in Maryland minted some of his own coins. On the front was a picture of two birds fighting over a worm while a snake was sneaking up on them from behind a hedge. The context at the time was that the individual States were fighting among themselves and not organizing a strong central government while strong European powers like England were waiting for us to let our guard down and lose our unity which is what kept us strong enough to remain independent.

Bush is hitting some rough waters now because he is making a bold move to drastically unravel the social safety net of Social Security. It's called "Social Security" for a reason. The other widely used political phrase incorporating "Security" is "National Security", though "Job Security" is starting to catch up. Security is the number one hot button fear.

Democrats have traditionally used economic fears to motivate people to vote Democratic, Republicans have traditionally used national security fears to motivate people to vote Republican. In recent decades the Republicans have opened up a new intrinsically psychological front, insecurity over identity. They accuse Democrats of being opposed to the core concepts that many Americans define themselves by. Democrats are painted as being anti marriage, anti God, anti morality, anti patriotism, and when they think can get away with it, anti American. In other words, Democrats are accused of undermining what it means to be American.

In past decades Republicans more blatantly played that ploy by taking a strong anti-immigrant stand. Up until about 5 years ago English as the sole official language movement was strongly being pushed toward that end. Republicans began modifying that strategy somewhat after their experience in California where a Hispanic backlash against then Gov. Pete Wilson swung the State solidly toward Democrats. Now as census data shows white Americans inevitably sliding toward minority status, the Republicans are making a strong bid for Latino votes and attempting to peel away a few African American votes also, so the identity field of battle has been shifting more toward "values" and softening some on race.

The core Democratic values that counter the Republican offensive are inclusion, justice, and compassion. Inclusion might be the prime value of them all. It is bedrock American. "E Pluribus Unum" means "One Out of Many". When the Declaration of Independence was being signed Ben Franklin was quoted as saying "We must all hang together or assuredly we shall all hang separately". Americans know that George W. Bush has been a divisive President, and that after being given the rare opportunity of a nation united after 9/11, we are now more polarized than ever. Republicans can and must be attacked on this front.

Americans relate to Justice as a core value, no man is above the law, anyone can grow up to be President, everyone's vote is equal etc. etc. etc. Hammering away that the system is rigged in favor of influence peddlers and privileged special interests resonates with the defense of that core American value. Compassion is the arch opposite of Greed. Very few Republicans directly defend Greed (a few actually do) they translate Greed into opportunity and hard work resulting in rewards. That falls apart the more people realize that key opportunities are denied to average Americans. Further Americans believe that those who are well off should show compassion toward those in need. That is why Dickens's Christmas Tale is a classic.

The Republicans are weak in the areas of Justice and Compassion because they are the Party defending Inequality and Greed. That is why they have done an end run with a semantic offensive. They are doing everything in their power to redefine "Special Interests" not as the rich and powerful, but rather as the defenders of the poor and powerless. Hence teachers unions and environmentalists become "Special Interests" replacing Banks and Pharmaceutical companies. Hence Bush ran as a "Compassionate Conservative" to forge a linguistic link between the concepts of "Conservative" and "Compassionate".

In other words the Republicans are trying to reinforce the fears that work to their advantage, while undercutting the fears that work to Democrat's advantage. We have not done a good enough job at undercutting fears that work to Republican's advantage. One recent comment by Wesley Clark deserves attention here. Clark has been quoted as saying that the Democrats have to become a "full service" Party, by which he means that the Democrats have to be seen as being a credible alternative to the Republicans at keeping our nation safe. Democrats don't even have to be seen as being equal to Republicans in that manner, just like Republicans don't have to be seen as being equally Compassionate as Democrats. But there is a threshold standard that must be met. Clark was concerned over reports that John Kerry was considering appointing John McCain as Secretary of Defense. Bill Clinton appointed William Cohen as his last Secretary of Defense. Since Cohen and McCain are Republicans the subtext message becomes, when Democrats want to keep America safe, they turn to Republicans to do it. That message must be retired and refuted, both in the realm of international relations and homeland security.

But overall the Democratic Party should be seen as rallying the American people to greatness, as opposed to the Republican Party saying go about your business and leave the driving to us.

like the idea of bush holding the power to blow up the EARTH, 30 TIMES OVER, in the palm of his hand! :kick:

The problem may be that the Left can't fight the Fear that Bush has used for his own purposes because the Left has its own addiction to Fear.

Immediately after 9/11, the Bush administration began talking about the "War on Terror", and the entire media echoed the phrase, even the moderate or leftish media, without question. At the time, immediately after 9/11, it felt for a while as though the attack WAS in fact the terrorists' first strike, a la Pearl Harbor -- the anthrax thing was going around at the same time. And I feared, as I'm sure many did, that the attacks on 9/11 would be followed up by many smaller bombings/attacks from the terrorists - that we would be subjected to the kind of almost-daily suicide bombings that Israel experiences. BUT IT NEVER HAPPENED. And yet no one ever questioned the "War on Terror" frame.

The Right loves the idea of themselves as the sentries on the ramparts, seeing threats long before anyone else does, and prepared to respond and defend us from them. It comes from the (laudable) tradition of Churchill, warning about the Nazis in the early 30s when the rest of the British establishment turned a blind eye. It comes, of course, from the especially hawkish stance of the Republican party during the Cold War (Reagan's "Evil Empire" talk, etc.) This tradition leads to a promotion of a Fear mentality.

But the Left falls into its own trap on this too -- amongst the Left, the best way to seem intelligent or deep is always to be pessimistic, to declare that the world is in Crisis, that these are always the worst of times. This comes, really, from the Crisis Sensibility of the 20th century, which began with World War I.

I live and work in New York City (not Manhattan, I'm no millionare or trustafarian) so 9/11 is not an abstraction to me. Nevertheless, I remember the 80s well. I remember the Cold War. I remember when the US and the USSR had tens of thousands of nuclear missles kept in a permanent state of readiness to literally end human life, if not all life, on this earth, whenever something went wrong, or a President or General Secretary went off the rails, or when some missile tracking system detected a "false positive" in terms of an attack by the other side. I remember the conversations people used to have, serious conversations, about what would you do if you heard on the radio or saw on TV the report that World War III had started, and the missiles would land in half an hour. Some people decided they would try to contact their parents to say goodbye. Some people would get down on their knees and pray. Some people would grab the nearest willing person and have sex one last time.

Why can we never admit that the world improves, now and then? Why can we never admit that things were WORSE, things were MORE DANGEROUS when "Nuclear Winter" hung over all of us like some world-destroying Sword of Damocles? I have less fear, far less fear that now we only have to worry about a "terrorist attack." To put it bluntly, we live in a world where, God forbid, at worst, a few bad men may get a hold of a bomb and take out NYC, or Tel Aviv. I prefer this world to the one where it was all of humanity, not merely one city, that faced imminent holocaust.

If people had PERSPECTIVE, historical perspective, we could fight the FEAR. We should have rebuilt those towers as fast as possible. We shouldn't have given Osama Bin Laden the satisfaction he must so richly enjoy by saddling ourselves with the Patriot Act, the Iraq War, how many useless billions spent on "Homeland Security".

And if we COULD get past the fear, then maybe we could actually focus on the challenges that remain in this world -- not so much from our fellow human beings, but more from the very success that humanity has had in building civilization -- its byproducts -- mainly, environmental threats.

How are Liberal fears different from Conservative fears? It makes some sense to me to differentiate, and apply different solutions.

(Mel Gilles, who has worked for many years as an advocate for victims of domestic abuse, draws some parallels between her work and the reaction of many Democrats to the election.-- Mathew Gross)

Watch Dan Rather apologize for not getting his facts straight, humiliated before the eyes of America, voluntarily undermining his credibility and career of over thirty years. Observe Donna Brazille squirm as she is ridiculed by Bay Buchanan, and pronounced irrelevant and nearly non-existent. Listen as Donna and Nancy Pelosi and Senator Charles Schumer take to the airwaves saying that they have to go back to the drawing board and learn from their mistakes and try to be better, more likable, more appealing, have a stronger message, speak to morality. Watch them awkwardly quote the bible, trying to speak the new language of America. Surf the blogs, and read the comments of dismayed, discombobulated, confused individuals trying to figure out what they did wrong. Hear the cacophony of voices, crying out, “Why did they beat me?”

And then ask anyone who has ever worked in a domestic violence shelter if they have heard this before.

They will tell you, every single day.

The answer is quite simple. They beat us because they are abusers. We can call it hate. We can call it fear. We can say it is unfair. But we are looped into the cycle of violence, and we need to start calling the dominating side what they are: abusive. And we need to recognize that we are the victims of verbal, mental, and even, in the case of Iraq, physical violence.

As victims we can’t stop asking ourselves what we did wrong. We can’t seem to grasp that they will keep hitting us and beating us as long as we keep sticking around and asking ourselves what we are doing to deserve the beating.

Listen to George Bush say that the will of God excuses his behavior. Listen, as he refuses to take responsibility, or express remorse, or even once, admit a mistake. Watch him strut, and tell us that he will only work with those who agree with him, and that each of us is only allowed one question (soon, it will be none at all; abusers hit hard when questioned; the press corps can tell you that). See him surround himself with only those who pledge oaths of allegiance. Hear him tell us that if we will only listen and do as he says and agree with his every utterance, all will go well for us (it won’t; we will never be worthy).

And watch the Democratic Party leadership walk on eggshells, try to meet him, please him, wash the windows better, get out that spot, distance themselves from gays and civil rights. See them cry for the attention and affection and approval of the President and his followers. Watch us squirm. Watch us descend into a world of crazy-making, where logic does not work and the other side tells us we are nuts when we rely on facts. A world where, worst of all, we begin to believe we are crazy.

How to break free? Again, the answer is quite simple.

First, you must admit you are a victim. Then, you must declare the state of affairs unacceptable. Next, you must promise to protect yourself and everyone around you that is being victimized. You don’t do this by responding to their demands, or becoming more like them, or engaging in logical conversation, or trying to persuade them that you are right. You also don’t do this by going catatonic and resigned, by closing up your ears and eyes and covering your head and submitting to the blows, figuring its over faster and hurts less is you don’t resist and fight back. Instead, you walk away. You find other folks like yourself, 56 million of them, who are hurting, broken, and beating themselves up. You tell them what you’ve learned, and that you aren’t going to take it anymore. You stand tall, with 56 million people at your side and behind you, and you look right into the eyes of the abuser and you tell him to go to hell. Then you walk out the door, taking the kids and gays and minorities with you, and you start a new life. The new life is hard. But it’s better than the abuse.

We have a mandate to be as radical and liberal and steadfast as we need to be. The progressive beliefs and social justice we stand for, our core, must not be altered. We are 56 million strong. We are building from the bottom up. We are meeting, on the net, in church basements, at work, in small groups, and right now, we are crying, because we are trying to break free and we don’t know how.

Any battered woman in America, any oppressed person around the globe who has defied her oppressor will tell you this: There is nothing wrong with you. You are in good company. You are safe. You are not alone. You are strong. You must change only one thing: stop responding to the abuser. Don’t let him dictate the terms or frame the debate (he’ll win, not because he’s right, but because force works). Sure, we can build a better grassroots campaign, cultivate and raise up better leaders, reform the election system to make it failproof, stick to our message, learn from the strategy of the other side. But we absolutely must dispense with the notion that we are weak, godless, cowardly, disorganized, crazy, too liberal, naive, amoral, “loose”, irrelevant, outmoded, stupid and soon to be extinct. We have the mandate of the world to back us, and the legacy of oppressed people throughout history.

Even if you do everything right, they’ll hit you anyway. Look at the poor souls who voted for this nonsense. They are working for six dollars an hour if they are working at all, their children are dying overseas and suffering from lack of health care and a depleted environment and a shoddy education. And they don’t even know they are being hit.

http://mathewgross.com/blog/archives/001041.html

I completely agree that we must take every step conceivable to protect ourselves from being further victimized by such predators. We must join together to become our own warriors/protectors.

I never miss an opportunity to urge people to see the BBC's 3-part documentary from last year called "THE POWER OF NIGHTMARES". At the very least you must watch part 1.

Here's a lo-res version I found...maybe you can find a better one - it is such a beautifully made TV programme that it deserves to be seen in the best possible format you can find.

http://peterkaminski.com/archives/000405.html

It is a masterfully made programme, and I should point out that this programme went out on BBC TV in the UK at primetime - it is not some obscure, out-there tinfoil-hat job. It is completely authoratitive and it's central premise - that global (radical Islamic) terrorism is a phantom menace - is staggeringly well argued.

Highlight of show 1 is a clip from a press conferance by Rummy in the late 70s. I won't spoil the fun for you, but keep an eye out for it - the parallels with today will make your jaw drop.

change.

The only way we will break their grip is by taking back the House in 2006.

Can you imagine the investigations that will start when Henry Waxman assumes the role of Chair of the House Reform Committee?

Can you imagine how bills will move on the floor when Louise Slaugher assumes role of Chair of the House Rules Committee?

Can you imagine the investigations that will start when John Conyers assumes the role of Chair of the House Judiciary Committee, where impeachment begins?

that we will not convince those who voted for and still support Bush simply by talking logic and reason and presenting real facts to them. I think they are beyond the powers of persuasion.

my solution

MONEY

to start things going in the direction it should be going to fight a behemoth of skillfully executed propagandist lies.

Media is corrpt and down the tubes? Buy a newspaper with the money. Buy a tee vee channel that is just as glitzy and appealing as Fox or CNN. OK that may be not exactly what some want, but it is what will reach people who are beyond the powers of persuasion, but still vulnerable to tee vee propaganda. Buy those things necessary to get the word out. Hire a creative PR team that can invent and distribute better propaganda than Rove and know exactly how to do it.

There must be someone on the side of the Democrats, someone with connections, that would be willing to do that.

No money given to those who we do not want representing us as liberals, or to those who would practice the "shuffle to the right and meld"method of politics, but to those who stand proud to shout out against Bush and his policies which we all know have taken us to the dark side (yes, I am quite proud to call myself a liberal and will not resort to using some better title such as "progressive" in it's place) Refuse the Liebermans--don't vote for them, get a real man or woman to kick him out and use money to tell the people why, using public forums. For the rest of those who would seek to dance more with Bush than with their own party, do the same.

If there cannot be enough Democrats involved in doing that and want to dance with Republicans,(out of fear)and they do not support change in tactics, then the only thing left to for some, if any sense of integrity is important to their sense of a self,is leave the party. Those would be those who refuse to vote again for a candidate that would be such as described.

In my worst case scenario, my gut tells me that unless there is some great catastrophe that will affect the great majority of people in this country,such as utter economic collapse, people will continue to support Bush and those who follow him in the next election. I hate thinking that needs to happen because I hate thinking of the suffering that may occur, but I sometimes think that it must happen, so far has it gone under to the dark side with Bush-- with more to come.

Join the "Whispering Campaign" (see link in my sig line) which details how this PNAC Administration intentionally played the psychological Fear Game starting with the 911 Event. Here's a pertinent excerpt:

While the nation was stripped to the emotional bone and painfully vulnerable, the White House capitalized on the opportunity to reshape public perceptions and responses to conform with the PNAC's new American agenda. Rather than buoy the "can do" American spirit with optimism and hope for the future as Presidents before him had done in times of crisis, Bush spoke with an alarmist and pessimistic tone that served to perpetuate the high anxiety, excitability and fear in the populace.

To hear him speak, the world was a dark, evil and dangerous place....terrorism was here to stay....it would be a long struggle....America was helpless without the military might of the Government to keep the nation safe. The intent was to create a psychologically broken, weary and docile populace that would be easier to lead into war.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/130534_focusecond13.html

Fear became the Administration's strategic tactic for reprogramming the public into accepting the PNAC's militaristic designs. Still shell-shocked and exhausted from the enormity of the WTC and Pentagon tragedies, the public's panic shifted into frenzied over-drive when anthrax-laced envelopes arrived in government and media offices, killing five people. A perpetrator was never identified but the investigation eventually centered around the Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases at Fort Detrick, one of the nation's main anthrax research centers.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,126244,00.html

Using classic "operant learning" techniques from the realm of consumer psychology, the public was purposely kept on High Alert and continually "shaped" with ominous sound bites on the nightly news and "Level Orange Terror Alerts" at regularly scheduled but discrete intervals.

http://www.consumerpsychologist.com/#Perception

you have the answer to the fear.

a fact of life by the advertising industry. "If you don't use my product, germs will kill your kids crawling on that deadly floor" or "The air in your house is so much worse than outside that you are slowly dying and my product is the only thing that will save your life.". We see people in the mall spraying and wiping off the telephone before using it when our parents just lived their lives. Is it a wonder that Bush has used this trend as an opportunity?

"Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder" is a fear based disorder which can be successfully treated by exposing the sufferer to the truth about their fears through rational methods. I see this as the way we should "CURE" the fear filled voters who voted for Bush because they, obviously were motivated by the same impulses as the OCD sufferer.

They believe that taking the same behavioral actions over and over will protect them from what they fear. When it doesn't make the feared issue go away, they believe that a more intense effort on the same behavior will do the trick the next time and also intensifies the fear. By Bush continuing to bring up fearful events he says will occur, reinforces the fears assuring that people will continue to support him because they, like the OCD sufferer think he will take the fearful issue away.

We need to bring the public face-to-face with the rational truth about the fearful future that Bush has convinced the public will happen and stop the obsessive behavior of blindly supporting him even in the face of his failures and lies. This would be a massive endeavor but must be organized and implemented. OCD sufferers are not free people!

:kick:

the two parties come and go in the cycle of who is in power. So, unfortunately, it comes down to who can substitute a greater fear for the one that is currently gripping people. I believe that between the SS attacks and when they try to lay the consumption tax on people, the Republicans may just go a long way to blowing themselves to hell. Remember they have preached nothing but "no taxes" to the populace. How do they substitute a tax that psychologically is with people EVERY day and think it will be swallowed with no upset?? How can you go from "protest property taxes and income taxes", etc. and then think they will easily cough up huge (and I mean huge) Federal sales tax on everything they buy every day??? Basically they are doing it to protect the tax cut for the wealthy and this time they will have gone way over the line. So what is our job?? Our job is to point out to the people what they are proposing and scare (yes scare) the living beejesus out of the people. Facing poverty scares people much more than bin Laden.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=103x111182

Make them swallow the red pill.

We are playing this game like a bad chess player plays. We have ideas about where we want our pieces but get overly distracted by the play of our opponent. Stop thinking about them.

Realize why our message isn't getting across. One of my most closely held beliefs is that their is nothing more important to our country than education, and most if not all Democrats agree. So why don't people in the heartland see that and vote our way? Because we as a party focus our education attention more on College tuition and College acceptance rates.

Middle Americans are sitting in elementary class rooms with no heat in the winter. They are learning out of history books written before the end of Vietnam. They are learning chemistry without any chemicals. But we talk about making sure that minorities are getting a fair shake in the bursars office.

Realize that we as a party have stopped seeing the forest for the trees. Our moral assertions are correct but we need to focus them properly. Work for education funding reform so that schools in Jackson Mississippi are just as good as the ones in Beverly Hills CA and Scarsdale NY.

There is a term that my marketing department uses all the time WIFM: Whats in it for me? We don't tell people in Kansas what's in it for them anymore, but Bush tells them what we want to take way.

Education is just one area that we need to do this in. Remember that the policies that we fight for and push to the forefront need to speak to all Americans, not just democrats.

Your post reminds me of Kucinich's speech "Breaking the Spell fo Fear", which I reproduce here . . .

Breaking the Spell of Fear
Iowa City, Iowa
September 1, 2003

Good evening. What a great turnout! Thank you for being here.

I am running for President to inspire America to take new path, a different direction. Americans are contemplating the direction the country might take. Fear is still pervasive. USA Today had a poll last week which showed that the majority of Americans expect a terrorist attack within the next month and a half.

There is a sense of tentativeness about the future; a disconnection from the optimism that is so characteristic of Americans. The fear that has draped our country like a dark cloud is a product of misinformation, untruths, of outright lies. There has been a deliberate effort to engender in the hearts of Americans a kind of paralysis by keeping Americans in the dark about the true cause of our nations' actions.

We will soon observe the 2nd anniversary of 9/11 - the great tragedy that befell this nation and the world. It is a time worthy of reflection. America could have taken a different course after 9/11. After 9/11, the heart of the world was open to the U.S., the people were prepared to embrace the U.S., its sorrow and its tragedy. It was a moment when we needed to reach out and work with the world community, to reconnect to the world community in the cause of international cooperation.

The world needed the U.S. to step forward to touch people around the world, to make it a transformational moment in human experience, to say we're not stuck in tragedy.

Instead, America acted alone, unto itself. This created for our country the enmity of nations which have been our friends. Great difficulty was created in trying to reach any kind of peaceful approach.

America - through its leaders - made a choice, and it was sorrowfully a conscious choice toward war. The day after 9/11, there was a choice made in the National Security Council. Secretary Rumsfeld said we should use the occasion of 9/11 to go after Iraq.

The U.S. knew there was no connection between Iraq and 9/11 - it didn't matter. There was never any connection between Iraq and 9/11, between Iraq and Al Qaeda's role in 9/11, between Iraq and the anthrax attacks on this country. There was never any proof that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction.

Yet this Administration proceeded along a path deliberately toward war. They rejected cooperation with the UN and failed to look at any evidence that disproved the cause of War. As a result, they created such fear in America.

In this room, I bet many of you had an experience in the last year and a half with the passage of the Patriot Act, the creation of the Department of Homeland Security, the drumbeat for war, the sharp increases in the Pentagon budget - many of us felt, `wow, what's happening to America? Where are they taking our country?'

It's as if an America is being created that we barely recognize…there is something different, foreign, about our cause of nationhood. Something is being disconnected from the heart of our country. The American spirit was being depressed - getting people to be careful about their phone conversations, careful about who they might meet with, starting to look the other way when someone of another color, another race, someone connected to the Middle East was in proximity.

The kind of suspicion and foreboding that's been created in this country has separated us as Americans, one to another. It has separated us as people of the world, separated us from other nations, separated us from our true destiny, from our ability to create a new world.

I think that we are at a transformational moment, when we are called upon to break the shackles of fear and step up to our roles as Americans who are optimistic, who are hopeful, who are peaceful, who want to rejoin the world community in the cause of peace; to rejoin the world community in the cause of humanity, to lift up the world community instead of destroying it. (cheers)

It's time, America, to reclaim who we are; to stand up for our tradition, to remember what it means to be American. It's not about war, it's not about injustice. Courage America. Courage. (cheers)

How can we reconnect? How can we effectively let go of this fear which has paralyzed the capacity for thought, which has paralyzed the capacity for political action? How can we reclaim who we are?

It's been said, "You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free."

The cause of this election must be to communicate with the American people the truth about our misadventure in Iraq. That America went the wrong way, that the Bush Administration lied to the American people to take us into war. (cheers)

We must tell the truth to the American people. If we don't tell the people the truth, there is no way to lift the fear, because our fear is based on misconceptions. We do have challenges to security - that's true. But only by working with the world community can we meet these challenges. America has a right to defend herself, but we must expect that an Administration knows the difference between defense and offense. And this Administration went on the offense. It did so illegally, in violation of the UN charter, the Geneva convention and our own U.S. constitution. (cheers)

How are we going to move forward to regain who we are as a nation?

We have to look at the consequences of the choices that we made. Let's start with the Patriot Act. The Patriot Act was passed in an atmosphere of deep fear in Washington. Members of Congress were besieged with great numbers of security guards. Imagine people in front of white marble buildings wearing camouflage. In front of white marble buildings wearing camouflage (laughs)

The fear and irrationality of Washington caused Congress to pass, in the dead of night, a law they never saw. It passed because of fear and because it was called "the Patriot Act." Sounds good…we're all Patriots. Actually, I wasn't for it. I have a rule of thumb in Washington - I don't vote for anything I haven't seen. (cheers)

Over 120 communities passed resolutions against the Patriot Act, because they understood that it is the most gross intrusion into the life of this nation, of our civil rights.

The Patriot Act lets the government inquire into your reading lists, check into your medical records, determine what videos you are watching. The Patriot Act gave the government broad wiretap authority.

Patriot Act 2 would give government the ability to gather financial information, medical records and genetic information, Where does this end?

The underlying issue is that the government doesn't trust the people anymore. They've taken "US" out of the word trust. So what we have is a government that is disconnected from its purpose of governance - which is to create a more perfect union, to secure the blessings of liberty for ourselves and posterity. That's our plan. They've forgotten it.

As President of the United State, I will direct the Justice Department to file suit to nullify the Patriot Act to reclaim our civil rights (cheers). And, in the next few weeks, I'll be introducing legislation in the Congress of the United States to effectively cancel the Patriot Act (cheers).

So it's about fear. The creation of the Department of Homeland Security with 171,000 employees - it will take them 10 years to figure out what they are supposed to do. Meanwhile, funds for police, fire and EMS are cut all over America. All cities have seen their funds reduced. We're going in the wrong direction. We need hometown security. We need the security that comes from communities that are strong and that have the support of local enforcement personnel.

Instead, we're going in the direction of a national police force, with national intrusiveness, away from democratic principles.

Fear drove a 13% increase in the Pentagon budget. The Pentagon is now spending over $400 billion/year, plus $5 billion/month for the war in Iraq. We're spending more and more for the military. Meanwhile, education is cut by $10 billion, veteran affairs cut by $25 billion. Health care, but by billions. All our social needs - cut. State budgets - cut. State budgets for education - cut. Everything is being reduced in this country except the Pentagon.

We're spending more than all of the other nations of the world put together. In return, war. We're getting the capacity for war, not the capacity to wage peace.

We have an obligation to protect our nation. But we don't have to spent the treasure of our nation on huge arms buildups that separate us from the world. (cheers) Fear, that's what does it.

So, what direction may America take?

I envision an America which has the capacity to reconnect with the heart of the world. Am America which proceeds in the world optimistically and courageously. An America which understands that the world is interdependent, that it is inter-connected. An America which has the view of the world as one, which takes steps to support that view through supporting a structure of international law.

As next President of the United States, I intend to lead the way to work with the nations of the world for total nuclear disarmament and total nuclear abolition (cheers). It is time America.

In order to affirm the structure of international law, I will take steps to sign the biological weapons convention, the chemical convention, the landmine treaty, the small arms treaty, the International Criminal Court agreement, the Kyoto climate change treaty (cheers). It is time for America to rejoin the world (cheers). Confidently, optimistically, hopefully, courageously. America (cheers).

We have to believe in the validity of our dreams, the capacity of our power. We have to believe that we as human beings have the ability to evolve.

That's what underlies a proposal which 50 members of Congress have now supported to create a Cabinet level Department of Peace. As John Lennon sung, "you may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one." We must have faith in our ability to create a new America.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. worked to make non-violence a foundational principle in America. The Department of Peace aims to do nothing less than to make non-violence an organizing principle in our society, Through looking at those issues which have afflicted America - domestic violence, spousal abuse, child abuse. All of these things which percolate and create violence in our homes have resonance with the violence in the rest of the world. We all know this, but we seldom talk about it.

We seldom work to create a world in which we create a structure in our society that can elevate our condition. We need to believe that we can help this country evolve and be better than it is. To help remove the scourge of spousal abuse, child abuse, domestic violence. Look at the violence that exists in our communities - racial violence, police-community relations, violence against gays, violence in our schools. We need to have a systematic organizing approach toward dealing with this.

The Department of Peace is about that. It is about tapping the capacities which we have. Those capacities within us are infinite. It is our politics that is limited. It is our politics that doesn't have a vision to understand how far America could go with this dream. (cheers).

So we have to challenge ourselves to be more than we are, to reconnect with the purpose of our founders to form a more perfect union. On the international level, the Department of Peace aims to do nothing less that make war itself archaic. We need to end war before war ends us (cheers).

We need to challenge the nations of the world to lay down their swords, and make them into plowshares.

It is time for America to reach for a new ere; to believe in the power of our vision, in the power of our dreams. To believe that we can create a better world for ourselves, for our children, for future generations. To be proud of our legacy - a legacy of peace, a legacy of social and economic justice. A legacy that we can be sure will lead us toward a new society, a better world.

There is a possibility that we will be able to say that is in this generation that we make that new beginning, that we work to create a new world.

This is the cause of this campaign. This is the cause of this movement.

I ask you to join me. I ask you to help me help Iowa send a message across the U.S. and the world, that we are ready for a new beginning, a new beginning of peace, a new beginning for the human heart in this country, a new beginning for the uplifting of the human spirit.

Thank you very much (standing ovation and loud cheers)

http://www.kucinich.us/speeches/speech15.php