SubscribeOne of the biggest laughs in Michael Moore’s Bowling for Columbine is George W Bush saying (with a straight face), ‘Today the Justice Department did issue a “Blanket Alert”. It was in recognition of a general threat that we received. This is not the first time the Justice Department has acted like this. I hope it’s the last, but given the attitude of the evil-doers, it may not be.’
The thing is some people didn’t laugh. For them, the President of the United States, leader of the free world and most powerful man on the planet had given credence to their paranoia. Exciting times were ahead – it was not only okay to be afraid of everything under Bush’s blanket but a citizen’s duty to do something.
Some have taken up arms… some spy on their neighbours… some blog.
Take Jane’s Armies of Liberation. She’s worried that her people aren’t scared enough and warns that the strong (i.e. scared) ‘few are carrying the weight of the hysterically blind.’ Each link on her site – AllahPundit, democrats give conservatives indigestion, The Politburo Diktat, The Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiller – takes the websurfer a little deeper into a paranoid little world full of evil doers.
‘Troops in Iraq Strain to Hold Lines of Supply’ reports the New York Times while Jane, with a typical overestimate of American might, suggests invading Iran.
Jane probably doesn’t understand why so many people laughed at Bush, so she’ll probably never understand that once your life is dominated by terror, the terrorist has won.
