Fear and Loathing

I've done things that would make your hair stand up on-end. I'm an adrenaline junky and most things that you'd consider risky I revel in. As long as I understand the risks and know all the things I can do to reduce that risk. You've heard some of these things from me before; I've flown helicopters (in the trees, at night with night-vision goggles), I've been shot at in war, I've flown small airplanes, I've flown hang-gliders. I've bungee jumped, rock climbed and rappeled down cliffs and out of helicopters at night.

These things don't scare me because I fully understand the activities and the risks that go with them.

Today, though, I'm scared.

It's a feeling I'm not used to - and not one that I enjoy in the least.

I'm afraid because of the things I know about BushCo. They've given us plenty to be scared of in their first four years. I'm even more afraid of the things we don't know. What do they have planned for a second term if Ohio falls into the red column? What other wars will they start? Will my 17 year old daughter (or my two neices) fall prey to a draft? What other restraints will they remove from their corporate backers; economic, environmental, legal? What other rights will they infringe upon?

Today, more than ever, the title of my blog describes the country. We are poised on a point - a fulcrum - centered in Ohio, and the smallest touch could send us tottering in one of two directions. On one side is hope for a better future. On the other is fear and a never-ending "war on terror." I don't understand what happened to get us here and I don't understand what can be done to keep us from falling to the side of fear. I don't know how to reduce the dangers of that path forward.

And so I'm afraid.