tomorrow, god's will be done, i will be voting, and voting my fears rather than my hopes.

that's so often why republicans get elected president. fear of crime and communism elected nixon. fear of impotence and lack of respect elected reagan. fear of willy horton and other demons elected bush41.

not that those fears have always been illegitimate. there was a culture of anarchy that was threatening the social fabric in the 60's just as communism was a real enemy in the outer world.

jimmy carter's inexperience and insouisance produced a leadership vacuum that concerned even our allies.

the attacks of sept. 11 were the worst one day loss of life to a foreign enemy on american soil in our history. the fear is legitimate. but as time passes the justification for basing decisions (even like voting) on an event of more than three years ago becomes less and less rational.

i just read an article in newsweek from august. the cover story was on the threat that al qaeda would disrupt the presidential election. in the same issue was a story on the athens olympics, also supposed to be a high value target for a.q. and similar groups.

no attacks occurred at the olympics of course and none are going to occur to disrupt the u.s. presidential election. hell, a.q. couldn't even disrupt the AFGHAN elections.

i have never been convinced that this administration has any idea what, how or where al qaeda might attack us again. right after 9/11 the bushies told the american people that another attack was almost certain. they spun likely scenarios of dirty bombs, computer hacking that would release the sluice gates of hoover dam or cause nuclear power plants to melt down. crop dusting planes with a cargo of anthrax was another one.

this page went on record early with the opinion that all of this chatter revealed profound ignorance and a prophylactic motive. that is still the opinion here.

i suspect, a suspicion that is not quite yet a conviction, that al qaeda has been sufficiently degraded that we are safe now. not safe in the long term or permanently but right now. i have a deep suspicion that is closer to conviction that i will come to be embarrassed by my vote tomorrow.

but the fear is still there. i am still convinced that america is in the crosshairs of islam and that it will strike whenever it is ready and able. i think that 9/11 and the invasions of iraq and afghanistan have produced many nascent al qaedas because islam produces people who are willing to soldier in that manner against america.

so tomorrow, for the first time in my life, i will vote my fears and also for the first time, vote for a republican for president.


-benjamin harris