fear and loathing in the U.S.

I've thought for a long while now that the media's #1 mission has been to scare the shit out of us. Michael Moore's 'Bowling for Columbine' had quite a bit of insight on this phenomenon.

Now I can't stand Michael Moore, he is the worst kind of liberal douche bag, but he makes a valid point. Keep us scared and watching that tv for the latest idol.

And the fear being expressed both by Wall Street and our government is palpable. It all comes down to trusting their assessment of the situation.

I'm no economist, I would never profess to understand the underpinnings of our economy, let alone a global one.

So, where does that leave us?

The way I see it, it'll go one of two ways. We'll be hurt, a lot of people will suffer, but we'll continue on much the same way. Or, 2, the whole house of cards comes down.

Now, choice 2 is a scary proposition, and really, no one wants that, even if it is our comeuppance for our sins. (as an aside, yes OUR sins - yes, the banks acted in a predatory manner for their own gain, but a lot of people signed on the dotted line for those loans - there was greed all the way down the food chain)

So what if #2 becomes reality? I could worry at that for days, but really what can I do about it? Is there something I can do to affect the situation one way or the other? I can't think of anything.

I, for one, refuse to live in fear. Yes, I'll do what I've got to do to protect and provide my family, but I'm not going to make myself sick worrying about it.

Life is a messy business and challenges and threats to our well being come from everywhere, from troubles with your spouse and kids, your job etc. Now it's coming from a place we can't get our heads around, least I can't, and it seems to me the 'experts' don't know either.

What this boils down to is a threat to our lifestyles, not our lives. There is a lot of good in our families and communities, perhaps now we'll focus and nurture those things. It's time to help each other, our neighbors, our communities our towns and cities.

It's time for us to bail our government out, not because they deserve it, but because we do. The government has lost it's heart and soul and we as a people need to give it a bailout of a different kind. It's time to serve each other not for personal gain, but for each other - for the greater good that is this nation. The government has lost it's heart - we need to give it some of ours.

I believe we can make our lives richer than our possessions, but only if we remember who we are and what we are - husbands, wives, families, communities and especially- Americans.

The rest is just stuff.
m.