Fear defeats hope

It goes without saying that I am disheartened and disappointed. It breaks my heart that the Republicans and George W. Bush have transformed my country into a land ruled by fear.

Last night it became readily apparent that a majority (a slim majority, but a majority nonetheless) of the people in the United States are driven not by hope of what's to come, but rather by fear of what could be. The message the Republicans were able to drive home with 58,319,499 of our fellow citizens was this:

The terrorists are coming: Be afraid.
The homosexuals are coming: Be afraid.
The abortionists are coming: Be afraid.
The gun ban is coming: Be afraid.
They'll take your Bibles away: Be afraid.

Franklin D. Roosevelt, a man who no one would argue faced some of the most dreadful times the world has ever known, said the immortal words, "All we have to fear is fear itself." It's staggering that the exact opposite message would resonate so deeply with so many of our fellow citizens. Maybe that's why I'm so disappointed. I thought we were braver than that.