As an ex-pat American I used to fear Ronald Reagan would start a nuclear war. In fact I was so concerned that when he was re-elected I moved to New Zealand which had just declared its Nuclear Free stance. NZ seemed like the most sane place on the planet and being in the Southern Hemisphere, relatively safe from the effects of a nuclear in the Northern Hemisphere. I even felt at the time the USA was turning into a Police State... I hated it's policies, but not the people.

After living in NZ for a short time I realised much of my fear was the result of the way America uses the media to keep everyone to some extent in a state of fear all the time. Its a control mechanism.

I am not as idealistic as I was in my youth and I've come to understand there are times drastic actions are necessary. I've also come to appreciate the sacrifices so many men have made to preserve the freedom and way of life most of us wouldn't trade.

But as time passed my fear abated and I began to see the big picture more clearly. All the major governments are essentially control by the super rich. The rich rule and own the world. The rich have no intention of destroying it, their greed will prevent a full out nuclear war from happening, they are all in the same club.

I don't consider myself racist by any stretch of imagination but I am worried about Muslim expansion through the Western Countries and what the long term negative effects are likely to be. The European experience offers a prime example. For me ISIS presents one of those times drastic action is justified and thank my lucky stars the USA is helping the world get rid of this evil force.

Conservative Hippy,
I think your opinion that the news media is controlled
by the government to keep everyone in fear is misplaced.
It is the competition inside the media that is the problem.
They have hyped everything up to attract the viewer, show him the latest
fearful news, blah blah blah.

In fact I think governments are pretty hopeless in getting people to
react the way they would like. They are normally incompetent.
I suspect you need to have a different flavour of cynicism.

Bazz - I didn't mean to suggest the media is controlled by the government, I think its more of a manipulation. For instance going back to just after the 9/11 attacks, just about every 3 or 4 months there would be a press release of a suspected new terror plot to blow up a major bridge, or gas a subway, or attack a nuclear plant, etc. A reiteration that the terrorism potential is ever present... sometimes followed by another restriction of freedom.

Americans also live with the constant fear (and real possibility) that they might be in the wrong place at the wrong time and end up an innocent shooting victim. In Los Angeles the Police are very intimidating toward everyone. The police are not friendly in the least and so if you are in traffic and a cop car is behind you, you feel nervous, even though you aren't doing anything wrong.

The dumbing down of the public through a poor education system is also a contributing factor. Violent/mindless movies and video games are desensitising young people. I'm not talking 'conspiracy' but overall the net result is a lingering worry someone is out to get you, so to speak.

It's a weird mindset that on one level goes completely unnoticed yet is influencing everyone's daily life. Well, that's my experience and take on American life.

Conservative Hippie, your comments about the U.S. are pertinent and should be closely read by the myriad American apologists who inhabit the comment sections of OLO.

Most of them know nothing about the U.S. but they blather on as if they did.

Most Christians are decent folk too, until they take their particular "interpretation" of the Holy Bible, Scriptures, Book of Mormon, New World Translations, King James Version, etc literally... & then expect everyone else to subscribe to their thinking.

Yes Albie but they don't turn round and offer you the three choices;
Convert to theirs, pay the Jizaz tax or death and the wife and children into slavery !