When a person is afraid, he or she runs from the object or person that is feared. Fear seems to take many forms including looking for threats under every rock, in every closet, behind every door, wherever. Paranoia sets in then and paralyzes the person so rational actions become nearly impossible.

Mass hysteria or paranoia has set in with the U.S. government which is losing it's ill conceived war in Iraq and now that fear is spreading to the average voters who are being brainwashed into thinking that this country will be safe with Bush in the White House for another four years. Since 9/11 took place on the watch of Bush/Cheney, why will another years with them be safer than Kerry/Edwards? True, Kerry has not articulated his positions very well and Edwards seems to have gone into hiding, at least here in California, but the threat of terror remains and there is nothing Bush/Cheney can do about it.

The U.S. Government has been its own worst enemy for years especially with the unconditional support of Israel. Is it any wonder that the Palestinians don't trust us? Yes, there are threats to Israel but they are the result of Israeli policies in Palestine. We should have taken a stronger stance with regard to Israeli policy in the Middle East but we didn't and now it is too late to do anything effective there.

There are evil men in the world. Saddam Hussein was one but that was an internal matter for the Iraqis, not for the U.S. Had we worked with the U.N. we would not be in the mess we are in now, but no, Cowboy George had to go riding in with 6-guns a-blazing to kill the despot and bring freedom to the enslaved people there. All he brought was chaos. Now elections are scheduled for January 2005 but now our government says that, well, maybe some parts of the country may not be able to hold an election due to the continuing violence. Well, what the heck. It doesn't matter that much what the potential voters in those regions think anyway. Look at us! We conducted an election but didn't count all the votes in Florida but George Bush was still "elected" anyway. No big deal! If things don't turn out the way WE want, we will just appoint/install OUR man in the top office anyway.

Something we must not lose sight of in all of this confusion is that MONEY/OIL drives the world now as supplies dwindle. We wanted to control the oil fields in Iraq. We are looking at them elsewhere too. Now Texaco/Chevron is trying to deal with Russia and its major petrochemical businesses for natural gas and oil there. I wonder what will happen if that deal falls through. Instead of developing alternative sources of energy and pooling the scientific resources of all countries to work on the problem, we continue to rape and pillage the planet and its finite resources. When will the human race wake up or will it ever?