Fear Mongers
I can't help myself. I'm watching the Republican Convention on PBS. I'm watching while I do other things, paying more or less attention from time to time. I keyed in a little while ago, around 7:45 CDT, when they played a video called "World Stood Still." It was a pathos piece about September 11, 2001, clearly calling on the American people again to be shocked, to grieve, to hate the "Islamofascists," and to be afraid – to be very, very afraid.
What a miserable, pitiful bit of fear-mongering! They don't acknowledge that George W. Bush never found any weapons of mss destruction, went into war on a lie, and never got close to Osama Bin Laden. And he did all this while stripping Americans of many of our civil liberties. He has shredded the constitution in service of a faux enemy. Inconvenient truths.
I'm reminded of the old Goldwater slogan in 1964: "In your heart you know he's right." For McCain/Palin, apparently the slogan is "In your heart, you need to be frightened."
What a miserable, pitiful bit of fear-mongering! They don't acknowledge that George W. Bush never found any weapons of mss destruction, went into war on a lie, and never got close to Osama Bin Laden. And he did all this while stripping Americans of many of our civil liberties. He has shredded the constitution in service of a faux enemy. Inconvenient truths.
I'm reminded of the old Goldwater slogan in 1964: "In your heart you know he's right." For McCain/Palin, apparently the slogan is "In your heart, you need to be frightened."
posted by Lisa Fox at 9/04/2008 08:04:00 PM
16 Comments:
um, "Yup, yup."
youze need to be scarded.
Or the other one re Goldwater '64, recycled for now:
McCain-Palin: in your guts, you know they're nuts.
Me too!
I've been thinking about the same fear mongering thing. Often, in this fear rhetoric, God's (the "christian god") name and "will" are invoked.
As I read the scriptures, I see Jesus' birth heralded with a "fear not". Angels by the empty tomb uttered "fear not". Jesus post-resurrection said "fear not".
To me, the Kingdom is about NOT living in fear. It is about finding and promoting peace. It is about leading others to abundant life and true freedom, not scaring them into cowering behind big guns and freedom-stripping legislation.
If scaring people is their goal, then with me they have achieved it. They scare me.
--Susan
Lisa?
You okay?
--Susan
No, not really.
Hey, Lisa, we miss you. If there' s anything we can do, let us know.
(((Lisa)))
IT
Hi Lisa.
I'm sorry.
You are in my prayers.I know God knows your needs. I pray you feel Her embracing love and nurture and peace.
Love.
--Susan
Just checking in - prayers for you.
Don't panic!
God or Allah or someone has sent a nice little economic crises along to keep certain people busy until that nice Mr Obama gets elected. And he will. He reminds you all of JFK and that will galvanise the liberal vote.
Thanks, y'all. I can't believe I've left the blog untouched for nearly a month.
Let me say: It's not that anything really horrible is happening here. But I am exhausted -- physically, mentally, spiritually, emotionally. In addition to my day job, I have two very heavy church-related responsibilities: chairing our diocese's companion relationship with Lui (Sudan) and chairing the discernment of one of our parishioners. Those responsibilities often feel overwhelming to me, and I often wonder whether I'm up to either of them.
And there's the personal element. As I recently sighed to a friend: I feel profoundly lonely. I think it was God who said: "It is not good for a [person] to live alone."
But enough of that. I love MadPriest's comment about "that nice Mr. Obama." Thanks for the chuckle, MP.
Young people are so bloody lucky. They grow up, leave home and then hundreds of them all pile into the same house together and have a wonderful time (when they're not trying to kill each other). I know this true because I was that young person.
But old people. For some reason they seem to think there is a law that says you have to have sex with someone if you share the expenses of a house together and have some good company and the occasional good fight.
I don't get it.
You're right. It is wrong to live alone. I couldn't do it. Advertise. You might even get hundreds of young people moving in and that would be fun.
Oh, Lisa, i KNOW what you mean. Been there at SO many levels. If I were a Christian, I'd send prayers. I'm not, so I will just send good thoughts and friendship.
IT
Yea!
You're back!
I'm here. And thinking of you. And sending prayers that God will help lighten the loneliness. Peace to you, friend.
Hi Lisa.
Just stopping by to say hi and I miss you. Exhaustion is hard but loneliness settles into the bones of your soul. Please feel the virtual hug. You remain in my prayers.
--Susan
Hey Lisa. I just came upon this. Perhaps you've seen it:
http://www.presweldevotional.blogspot.com/
It spoke to me about fear and vulnerability and loneliness.
There are no easy answers.
I thought about you and thought I would share.
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