Comments on Country Parson: A Few Thoughts on the Power of Fear

Bruno, As an aside, our biggest disappointment on ...

2009-06-22T08:49:45.285-07:00

Bruno,
As an aside, our biggest disappointment on our Grand Canyon adventure was not being able to route our drive through your area to meet face to face.
CP

Dr. B., You are right, of course, but I wonder if ...

2009-06-22T08:48:20.678-07:00

Dr. B., You are right, of course, but I wonder if our 24 hour a day Internet, t.v. and radio doesn't exacerbate it. As is sometimes said in Hawaii, the coconut wireless is faster than the speed of light, and I imagine it was the same in pre-cable t.v. and Internet days, but that kind of oral transmission seems less intimidating to me.

Stirring up irrational fears for political gain is...

2009-06-22T08:40:01.795-07:00

Stirring up irrational fears for political gain is, alas, too common in every country, and certainly has a record in this country: the internment of Japanese-Americans in 1942, the Know-Nothing party in the 1840s from fear of Catholic immigrants, the Ku Klux Klan, driven by fear of blacks, the fear that Mormons were kidnapping women to put in their harems as late as the silent movie "Among the Mormons" in 1920s, etc. A favorite of mine is the rumor promulgated against the election of Thomas Jefferson in 1800, that he was an atheist who would confiscate people's Bibles! The story is told of an old Federalist woman who gave her Bible to a neighbor for safe-keeping, saying "Keep this safe for me, for if Jefferson is elected he will take up our Bibles, and they will not think of looking in your house, since you are a Democrat"! Dr. B

Out of the ball park CP, Out of the ballpark. Send...

2009-06-21T19:56:34.494-07:00

Out of the ball park CP, Out of the ballpark.
Send this one in to the papers.
A voice speaks without fear, and it is yours! BRAVO!