You all ought to see, if you haven't already, the Power of Nightmares, http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/3755686.stm

It's a very interesting film. It essentially says this and I paraphrase: the rise of individualism has lead to Americans not holding the family and country as close to their hearts as they used to. People used to do the right thing because it was the right thing to do. With a good percentage of your population running around looking after their own interests, there was little focus on a common interest, i.e. America or the family.

The film shows how the neo-cons in the 80s helped create this overwhelming fear of a third world war and communists blowing us all up. So the country started to rally. At the same time, Christians were preached to that it was their duty to get out and vote and get control of the government. (Christians previously didn't have a lot to do with politics.) Once communism fell, however, there was nothing left to fear in the world.

Eventually "terrorism" was created as the new enemy.

Watch the film, it essentially shows you how your goverment and people interested in controlling it have completely concocted most of the fear around a third world war back in the 80s and much of the fear that your government uses today. It's an eye-opening experience.

Michael