Boo

The kids are home and in bed. My son has had a swansong night as a 'priest' and my daughter was a vampire/goth. Maybe it's similar to their temperaments. Just kidding.

I'm not offering an analysis of Halloween. Nothing about Samhain's origins nor it's commercial evolution, nor 'religious' implications. Plenty of search engine fodder for that.

I am interested, as always, in fear. What scares us? Why?

Again, no dissertations about phobias nor deviance etc. But, as I have mentioned before, fear has always been quite a motivator. Let's face it. Literally.

We live in scary times, purportedly. Certainly they are interesting times. Since 911, we have been besieged with threats and innuendos. One horrible act has springboarded much gut level reaction.

Someone/several did something bad. Let's not get bogged down whether it's black ops or Islamic madmen. Could be a combination. We are dealing with the results.

We have the ironically named 'Patriot Act', bureaucratic TSA and "Homeland Security' (Fatherland?), to name the main egregious wounds to Freedom. They have willingly been 'accepted' by many who let others do their thinking for them. There are others, and I have met many, who say 'You can't fight this'. Nonsense.

Yes, there are many who prefer the 'authorities' to handle our security. My German professor was a translator at Nuremberg. She was well acquainted with her people being products of Nazi democracy and then Communist democracy. There are those who would rather let others decide for them, lead the way, think for them etc. We are no different.

We have been seduced and slowly coddled into the American democracy. We still have some trappings of a Republic, but it's fast fading. There are obviously those who wish to control. A few of them. Conspiracy? Depends on definition. Human nature remains. Those who are afraid, those who pander to those fears, those who believe control must be absolute are running rampant.

Now, I'm not leaving out those who could care less and plod along hiding behind recreation and other diversions. A bunch of them. There are those who are working in the aforementioned orgs who honestly believe they are serving their country, making a difference, with no choice or so they believe. Quite a few there. But, those in the previous paragraph interest me the most. And one other group. Those who do NOT buy into the fear. More than one might think. More waking up daily.

Some of the above groups could arguably be squished together as to reaction: ie indifference, compliance, resignation. Thus they 'react' to the others who take advantage. That is NOT my idea of initiative.

Those who peruse these words I ask to wake up. If already awake then wake others. Face your fears and help them to face theirs.

Beware of fearmongers who may preach Freedom. They may be wolves in sheep's clothing. Watch out for those who assure that they are here to help. Likewise, they are deceptive, though they come from another direction.

I ask, post Halloween, for you all to awaken, think for yourselves and dig. Learn. Face your fears. Spread the word that We the people are responsible for taking action. Sure we elect/appoint others. But how many accede to our wishes? How many see that we do not need the draconian measures passed in order to truly 'secure' us? This Constitutional Republic is sufficient unto itself to do so.

We should be 'self aware'. Just as many of us are in condition yellow when it comes to our personal self defense, we must be moreso for national security. Not that DHS stuff. I'm talking about applying our self awareness such as taught by Col. Jeff Cooper to our country. This is best achieved in our Constitutional Republic. The democracy we are sliding into (some claim it's over already) will only secure our enslavement, in the name of 'freedom' of course. Less restriction will foster more security because simply put, we are free. Just as I do not fear the brigand because I am armed, so a self determined country can be the same.

Fear is indeed a great motivator. May it move us to conquer it by facing it. Boo indeed.