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‘ONLY THING TO FEAR’: Fear Is As ISIS Does

One of the most compelling and useful statements ever spoken by a U.S. President:  “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” (President Franklin Roosevelt, first inaugural speech.) Roosevelt displayed leadership. He knew how to rally people to face the Depression and defeat the Axis Powers.  Yes, there was a time in America when we had patriotic Presidents who cared about the future generations.  The people knew he cared and loved him for it.  Not so with the current occupant of the White House.

People say they fear all kinds of things these days. There are no shortages of things to fear.  Roosevelt was right saying fear is the worst state of mind because it paralyzes us from taking actions that dispel fear.   Some people fear Obama.  Others fear removing him from office because they fear him or they fear what might happen once he is removed.  The rule of law has given way to fear, the precursor to chaos.

The rules of warfare have given way to fear as well. That is what terrorism is all about: instilling such fear the enemy is psychologically predisposed to defeat.  The beheadings will continue. Democrats help in this process, constantly telling us if we fight back and defend ourselves we’ll just make the terrorists mad, making everything worse.  Their policy amounts to accommodating the wolf in hope he’ll eat somebody else. Very heroic.
  
Fear disallows Obama forming a real coalition.  Allies fear he does not have what it takes to see this through.  They fear being put in the popcorn machine, with good reason.  The kidnapped girls in Nigeria, our people in Benghazi, the Egyptians, the Libyans, the Poles, the Ukrainians, the Iraqis, the Afghanis and American Blacks and Hispanics can tell you all about being put out on a limb, then hearing the rasp of the saw.   Their fears were and are real, beyond the concern of the chief executive.

In the present hour, we have reason to be alarmed by the escalation of Jihadists, but fear them?  Hell no.  Everyone knows we have the technological and manpower capabilities to vaporize ISIS in a few weeks.  Everyone also knows we have a man in charge who does not take charge, a commander who cannot command, a leader who refuses to lead, a man without a conscience or a country. This is truly a fearful situation, simply because, anything can happen. A fearful president merely encourages aggression from enemies while demoralizing his own people, truly a recipe for disaster.   

Commentators claim Americans are fearful of ISIS and related groups.  Obama, while giving his most recent “speech” looked drawn and fearful.  Joe Biden, in his over-the-top remarks recently, tried to look blusteringly courageous, a cover for fear.  Various public officials and intelligence officers claim we have a lot to fear.  If it’s true we are afraid, the terrorists have achieved at least one of their goals.

My guess is Americans aren’t as fearful as they are angry.  Between the constant provocations from various Muslim players, the linkages between Iran, Russia and North Korea, the Chinese concern, and our southern border, we have our share of reasons for serious alarm.  At the same time, we have a government run by an enemy sympathizer who does little if anything to protect the country, and he does much to render us vulnerable.

The corrupt and fatalistic approach to Afghanistan certainly proves the point, as did the complete exit from Iraq three years ago.  The “Arab Spring” so praised by the ObamaCrats has only served to empower Jihad, except in the case of Egypt, once an ally, now a reluctant part-time partner suspicious of our motives and methods.  The disgrace in Benghazi, massive cuts to our military, the purging of useful military officers, the leaking of classified information and the telegraphing of our every move (or refusal to move) all evidence an administration treasonously engaged in delivering defeat.  Add to the mix Obama is actually funding terrorists and the case is clear: this man is the enemy within, and his cohorts in the Democrat Party participate in his treachery.

Since the politicians are too fearful to act on our behalf and remove this Little Benito, it is left to the people to demand his removal, or at least vote in such huge support for the opposition he becomes effectively hogtied. Short of all that, the military might move toward a solution.  The chatter around that possibility has existed for a long time.  

The final question is this: are we angry enough to act or too fearful to consider it?  As things get worse, it may very well turn out we have much more to fear than fear itself: the thing we fear the most may come to pass–the end of liberty, justice, security and prosperity, thanks to our own desertion. 

Image; http://fascinationwithfear.blogspot.com/2012/10/october-25-twenty-five-first-rate.html

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Allan Erickson

Allan Erickson---Christian, husband, father, journalist, businessman, screenwriter, and author of The Cross & the Constitution in the Age of Incoherence, Tate Publishing, 2012.

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