Today I took another peek out of my bunker, saw the deep shadow of invasive government spreading its dark fingers across the land and, like a giant mutant groundhog, I fled back to the safety of my underground shelter.

Repressive forces are at work all around us. They've been deluding themselves for so long about so much that their delusions have formed a kind of armor that protects them from reality. They seem determine to return to the high science of the 1300's. Those were the good old days. Faith provided all the answers. Any fool could find The Truth and you didn't need to be good at math. It worked during the Spanish Inquisition. The Salem Witch Trials were another rousing success. And it's making a big comeback in contemporary America.

One of the most impressive traits of the waterheads currently trying to drive a stake through Lady Liberty's heart is their ability to get us to micro-focus on the unimportant.

Terrorists hate America with a suicidal passion. They'll hurl themselves like rabid beasts into the jaws of Death just to take a few of us with them. Our greed and self-centered policies may have paved a fair stretch of the road that leads to such psychotic violence. So what do we put at the top of the agenda to deal with this threat? Whether or not the Ten Commandments can be displayed in public buildings. And don't forget about if we should remove "under God" from the Pledge of Allegiance.

I haven't heard much about the war in Iraq over the past week or so. That's because Terri Schiavo is dominating the news. Her husband, in the guise of complying with her wishes, has been trying to kill her for years. Naughty, naughty husband. But her parents and a legion of busy bodies are not about to let that happen. Terri's not a vegetable. She's still in there. Just ask John Edward, the "Crossing Over" guy. He claimed on Fox News' morning show Fox & Friends that Terri Schiavo is "definitely clear on what's happening now around her." And to think his mom wanted him to be a neurologist.

War not going so well? Ooooh...look over here! Shiny!

It's odd that the same rules didn't apply to Sun Hudson. Haven't heard of him? He doesn't have as good a press agent as Terri. He was only 6 months old, born with a fatal form of dwarfism. His doctors believed that he would never have any hope of survival without life support. They were almost certainly right. Therefore, they invoked the "Texas Futile Care Law" and removed life support against his mother's wishes. One guess who signed that legislative gem into law. That's right! Mr. Compassionate Conservative himself, George W. Bush.

My point is simply to highlight the capricious and hypocritical way in which this terrible Schiavo situation is being handled. I think this makes it crystal clear as to how dangerous it is to have the government getting involved. I will, however, throw a bone to my conspiracy minded friends who may feel there are darker forces at work. Personally, I don't think it made any difference, but Terri Schiavo is white and Sun Hudson was black.

This type of high drama plays to packed houses in the world of politics. The non-issue of same-sex marriage is believed by many to have mobilized voters and helped re-elect Bush. Climbing to the top by trampling the Constitutional Rights of others takes finesse, but these vermin are chock full of that.

I'm doomed because I'm an atheist. This means I have no hope of ever holding public office. In a recent poll, 38% of Americans say they wouldn't vote for a well-qualified Muslim candidate for president. 52% wouldn't vote for a well-qualified atheist. I've managed to weasel my way into a group that ranks lower in the eyes of America than the one commonly equated to terrorism.

So sit back and relax, buckaroo. They're not gunning for you yet. You'll be fine. But a wise man once warned us otherwise. If you let them keep hunting long enough, they'll get around to you. They always do.

"In Germany, they first came for the communists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a communist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist. Then they came for the Catholics and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Catholic. Then they came for me -- and by that time there was nobody left to speak up."
- Pastor Marton Niemoller

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