Three years ago I began this blog with a question: what the hell is going on? I watched as the country I love and served veered to the right under the sway of Neo-Conservatism and its practitioner's policies of FUD. Dark times indeed, but I fear darker times are yet to come.

John Dean, former White House Council to President Richard M. Nixon, recently wrote a book called Conservatives Without Conscience. In it he discusses the traits of authoritarian personalities and those of the people who follow them. Mr. Dean, having served President Nixon during the Watergate Era has a unique perspective on this. He is deeply concerned that America is in danger of falling too far into the thrall of despotism(google video).

As a bat-shit crazy conspiracy geek I have my own unique perspective: Mr. Dean is dead wrong. The United States is in no danger of becoming a right-wing dictatorship. We're as close to that today as we will ever come. The good news is that America will avoid the anti-democratic police state of George W. Bush's blurry-eyed, God and freedom dream (Remember when he didn't “do the vision thing"? Good times). The bad news is that no one has told the fringe yet.

There are people in our nation today who strongly support the dogma of the New American Century. Come November, while Neo-Cons in Washington are packing up there desks, shedding paperwork, and planning their golden triangle moves out of policy and into industry or academia, the fringe will be seething.

For the past decade extremists in American have been placated. Those born to wave the flag have done so with impunity, reveling in daily displays of American military might. And here I'm not talking about flag-ribbon magnet SUV driving soccer moms from the suburbs. I mean the real wackos, of which there are many. These people love America, don't get me wrong, but they love our nation in an icky, unrequited way (see One Hour Photo). Under the right circumstances these Americans can be dangerous. Circumstances we are likely to experience over the next two years.

Should the Bush regime, and by extension the GOP, fall from grace with the general electorate, terroristic extremism not fascism will be the danger America faces. In his book Mr. Dean discusses the followers of authoritarian figures, and specifically how these individuals have a tendency to follow too strongly and for too long. What then will their reaction be once their politicians have been defeated at the polls? We've already experienced some of what we can expect.

In their child-like minds they will rationalize violence against their own "misguided" country. Bombings, assassinations, intimidation. In a word: terrorism.

Can it happen here?

Labels: FUD, John Dean, neocon, new american century

The space shuttle Discovery will soon be launched. Its mission will be historic. Not because its intrepid crew has been given a 1-in-100 chance of survival. And its not because this mission is crucial to NASA's financial future, and DHS looks hungry for another agency. Don't worry, the kids will love faith-based space exploration.

No, the Discovery mission will be historic - oddly enough - for what it discovers: evidence of alien life.

This news will rock the world as religious zealots have to stop between thoughts of how best to kill non-believers, and ponder their existence for moment. Lets face it, the Administration could use some news like this right now.

International Director of the Center for the Study of Extraterrestrial Intelligence (CSETI), Dr. Steven M. Greer, has claimed that such evidence already exists. According to Dr. Greer, two sources from SETI have disclosed that their project - a much distinguished and respected scientific search for radio transmissions of non-Earth origins – has collected signals indicative of intelligent, but alien design.

While Dr. Greer is somewhat disliked by some in the greater UFO community, he has been a strong proponent UFO and ET research in hearings before the U.S. Senate and around the world. He also has ardent supporters. If his assertions are true, such information would be extraordinarily valuable to the Bush Administration at this point.

We are entering the doldrums of Summer and the American people are about to:

- realize that 150,000 U.S. troops are trapped between Iran and Israel

- face what is likely to be the worst hurricane season in the history of recorded time

- decide whether or not the President will be impeached by Congress.

News like this would hit like a bomb. Come to think of it, the Administration probably isn't going to use the discovery of intelligent alien life, and the existence of top secret technologies capable of changing the course of human history forever, to its advantage. They'll probably just cow the American population back into a sufficiently submissive state by running a shock-and-awe media campaign emphasizing the threat level of this year's July 4th celebration.

I, for one, will welcome news of our alien neighbors should it ever be confirmed.

Happy birthday America. Remember, "Justice is the end of government. It is the end of civil society. It ever has been and ever will be pursued until it be obtained, or until liberty be lost in the pursuit." ~ James Madison

Labels: NASA, SETI