Fear Tactics as policy of Government and the GOP

In all fairness, I must confess that I've taken words from an excellent article by Brent Budowsky that I read on Buzzflash.com. Hopefully I haven't been overly plagiaristic in my endevour or am forgiven if I have been. The following is the context of a Letter to the Editor of my local Right Wing Newspaper

As I reread our Constitution, which this week is set aside to honor, and ponder on how those patriots were so willing to give their very lives to create the situation where that document could take root, I am disappointed in the current crop of Americans.
Casually, fearfully, timidly, and meekly Americans are surrendering freedoms acquired by the blood of American heroes. Public policy driven by fear is taking away our freedoms bit by bit. These are the very freedoms that President Bush says the Islamo-Fascists hate us for. When he said that he is doing everything possible to keep us safe, I didn’t realize that would include removing the freedoms our enemies hate.

President George Bush implores us to be afraid, and wants us to think: we may not be comfortable with a President who claims the unilateral power to abrogate the Bill of Rights and violate Federal Law at will with a signing statement, but he makes us feel a little bit safer, so it's ok. And so it happened. President George Washington, having actually fought with his troops, rallied his followers with bravery, for a cause greater than themselves, their lives, greater even than the Nation they created and the times they lived in. Shall we sit in fear in front of our TVs, leaving home only to go shopping, while our government continues to chip away at the freedoms which our Constitution so eloquently endowed us?

On the bank of the Delaware, George Washington quoted Thomas Paine,

"These are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of this country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like Hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly".

President George Bush wants us to sacrifice nothing except our courage, our freedom to criticize government policies, and freedom from government intrusion of our private affairs. The fact that I have nothing to hide does not mean I am willing to have it exposed for any reason that does not comply with the rights given to me by the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution.

Now, into the circle file...