Kingdom of Fear

I read a book a while back which turned out to be the last thing HS Thompson published. It was called 'Kingdom of Fear' and was a very interesting read. Mostly it was gonzo-journalist HST's memoirs, stories about a well-spent youth. The running theme, however, was that the United States is a culture based on fear. Fear of the unknown, fear of the known but different, and quite often, fear of ourselves. Last night, the point really hit home. After being laid off from my kushy desk job recently, I have started bouncing again down on Lower Greenville in Dallas. The crowd down there is pretty average American with a large dose of illegal hispanic help. Usually we are pretty quiet, but its always wise to keep your eyes and ears open because sometimes the shit DOES hit the fan. So, while doing my duties as the able bodied doorman that I am, I noticed that this man trying to get into my bar does not look like the usual "get me so drunk I'm stupid" kids that are running around. I look at the id he is showing me, and wham! it hits me. This guy is Iranian and he doesn't look like he's out to have a good time. In fact, he looks rather disgruntled, and he wants to come into my bar. He's obviously old enough to drink, but I still think twice before letting someone in on an Iranian passport. So, I let the guy in since I can think of no good reason not to, but I'm extra nervous the rest of the night. Which got me to thinking. Before GWB and his crack team of right wing religo-nuts, I would welcome contact from foreigners, even Arabs. But not now. Now, I'm worried about someone bringing a bomb into my bar. Which makes no fricking sense! I mean, he wasn't carrying anything, and I doubt he could've hidden much under his tight plaid shirt, but he still made me nervous due to the big undercurrent of fear that constantly runs in our collective unconscious. This fear, this constant uneasiness is no accident. When your populace is on edge, and nervously awaiting the next bad thing, it becomes easy to get them to do things and support things they otherwise would not. That is, fear leads to control. Yes, I said it folks. Your government is controlling you through fear. And its working really well. I just hope we can vote someone sane into office before the Bush bastards have a chance to start Armageddon.....