Apocalypse NEVER

Some of America's leaders are fundamentalists who literally believe in Armageddon. Many of these folks believe that Christians must help bring nuclear war to the middle east in order to bring on the apocalypse, so that the "second coming" will happen (and see this). These folks are obviously dangerous. But this essay is not about them. It is about the other governmental leaders who are not fundamentalists, or perhaps not even religious at all, but are still creating a self-fulling prophecy of doom. Like who? The entire U.S. government has been in a declared "state of emergency" from September 11, 2001, to the present. Continuity of Government (COG) plans were implemented on 9/11, and have probably never been rescinded. Even if the COG plans were secretly rescinded at some point after 9/11, the declared state of emergency is still in effect, and the White House could declare martial law based upon something as trivial as a small, local fire. Very few in Congress or the corporate media have questioned the COG shadow government, the state of emergency, or the White House's ability to overtly declare martial law on a whim. Why? Supposedly, because they are scared that Al Qaeda terrorists are going to explode suitcase nukes in the U.S., or carry out some huge bioterror attack.* Why's That Illogical? On the surface, that may sound logical. However, in reality, Al Qaeda is not really a big threat to the U.S. Take a look at this Los Angeles Times Article, reviewing a BBC documentary entitled "The Power of Nightmares", which shows that the threat from Al Qaeda has been vastly overblown (and see this). And a former National Security Adviser told the Senate that the war on terror is "a mythical historical narrative". And everyone from FBI agents, CIA intelligence officials and investigative reporters have said that the terror threat is greatly exaggerated (and see this). Moreover, the government has done almost nothing to minimize the chance of a terror attack. The government has not secured our ports, substantially increased security on airplanes, or devoted real resources to fighting bad guys. Instead, the government is harassing grandmothers working for peace. And fought a multi-trillion dollar war in Iraq. However, U.S. spy agencies say that the Iraq war has incrased the terrorist threat. Apocalypse NEVER! So it is not only fundamentalist Christians whose actions are increasing the chance of an apocalyptic event. Everyone in government, the media and the public is creating a self-fulfilling prophecy when they jump when they see their own shadow, scare the spit out of themselves worrying about brown-skinned terrorists, do stupid things like starting wars against countries which are not imminently threatening the security of America, and fail to take real protective steps against bad guys. These apocalyptic-panickers are themselves bringing on the apocalypse! I don't buy into this ooga-booga, end-is-near stuff. I want a nice calm, stable world for me and my family. I want to build real safety and security and sanity. I say: Apocalypse NEVER! Note: There are obviously real-world problems that we have to deal with, and I am not saying we should stick our heads in the sand. What I am saying is that actions based on extreme fear only increase the real danger. The cure should not be worse than the disease. We need to calm down and take stock of what's really going on. * Some in government are obviously part of COG, and may be in it for the power. But I personally believe that many in Congress and other branches of the government are unaware of what's really going on, or -- even if they are aware to some extent -- are unwittingly creating a self-fulfilling prophecy, bringing about what they most fear. George Washington