The problem with Religious and political leaders these days.

[coloradodem2005]

It always feels as though this has become the decade and maybe (God forbid) the century of fear in the U.S.A. 9/11 has caused us to loose our hearts and minds. Whenever we question the President 9/11 would always come up. Why we needed to go to war against Iraq. 9/11. Patriot Act 9/11. Religious leaders use fear and ignorance of sex and homosexuality against the people that follow them. As well as fear against Abortion. They have been able to manipulate so many people so thouroughly. It is absolutely unbelievable.

"The Weapon"
Part II of 'Fear'
We've got nothing to fear - but fear itself?
Not pain or failure, not fatal tragedy?
Not the faulty units in this mad machinery?
Not the broken contacts in emotional chemistry?

With an iron fist in a velvet glove
We are sheltered under the gun
In the glory game on the power train
Thy kingdom's will be done

And the things that we fear are a weapon to be held against us...

He's not afraid of your judgement
He knows of horrors worse than your Hell
He's a little bit afraid of dying -
But he's a lot more afraid of your lying

And the things that he fears
Are a weapon to be held against him...

Can any part of life - be larger than life?
Even love must be limited by time
And those who push us down that they might climb -
Is any killer worth more than his crime?

Like a steely blade in a silken sheath
We don't see what they're made of
They shout about love, but when push comes to shove
They live for the things they're afraid of

And the knowledge that they fear
Is a weapon to be used against them...

[Squeech]

1. I couldn't agree more

The true greatness of America was, we had a political system that explicitly trusted The People to guide their own destiny. And the true statesmen in our history were the ones who appealed to popular wisdom, and inspired our brightest hopes and dreams.

Then the powerful elbowed their way in. We grouse about the MSM like it's a new problem, but the newspapers of the 19th century were even worse-- except that they were generally pretty explicit about which specific power blocs they were owned by and spoke for.

Remember Pulizer and the Spanish-American War? Remember Hearst and all his manufactured catastrophes (not to mention giving Harry Anslinger a forum to demonize marijuana from, lest Hearst's forestry interests should lose market share to hemp paper)? The constant stream of screaming headlines and bummer stories built circulation-- "if it bleeds, it leads"-- and it led to the culture of fear we live in today.