Who should I be more afraid of

Any country the size of the US will have its share of fringe groups. Don't forget Germany has its NeoNazis, England has its Skinheads, etc.

But here in the U.S. we've had more trouble with far left groups than far right. Earth First and the Animal Liberation Front are certifiably terrorist groups, and they have caused some real problems. And, of course, the Weather Underground, SNCC, and such groups were definitely left, not right.

I DO get worried over some of the e-mails I've seen, but I've seen real hate speech from both sides.

And I DO worry about the President's safety.

Hmm, yes- he'd better not join this forum using his real name or he'd feel the wrath of some of the members

regards,

Christine

Then maybe this will comfort you.

I know plenty of Republicans who have been tired of the hate speech toward them and toward George W. Bush for the last 8 years. What goes around, comes around, in that particular arena.

I wish everyone would just take a chill pill and be reasonable and polite. Somehow, that never seems to happen.

But here's a question: How would you have felt if you found out that Bush had been a friend of ... oh, say, some of the Ku Klux Klanners (who were responsible for bombing a church back in the 60's)? After all, Obama had friends who were self-confessed left-wing terrorists back then.

No, I think we need to beware of extremists in every political sphere. That's why I think temperate conversation is so important. Extreme speech can lead to extreme actions.

In answer to your question, then, here's the answer. Fear any radical or extremist, no matter which end of the spectrum, because they always think the end justifies the means. And they always think they know what the right end should be.

First of all, there is a definitive political agenda in most media organizations. Sometimes that agenda can be seen in what stories are published at what time. There have always been right wing "militias" as well as the left wing fringe groups that believe in violence as the method to enacting their own version of change. However right now the Administration and leaders of Congress are trying to silence any dissent to their proposed policies by saying that it's all "organized by right wing fringe groups" and not just concerned citizens. Just a theory.

Truth be told, though, the "militia" groups don't hate America. They hate Government. Unless you are an active authority figure (i.e. politician, police (who do the bidding of "the man")) you don't have much to fear from them in general. Sure, there are going to be rogues like Tim McVeigh but how many times has something on that scale been perpetrated by an American against Americans with no ties to another anti-American organization?

Al Qaeda and other radical terrorist organizations of that ilk do hate America and all of the West (meaning all countries not run by radicals like themselves). They do want to kill you and me and everyone who doesn't believe exactly the way they do.

Who should you fear more? Well, frankly the odds are that you have a much higher chance of being hurt or killed inside your own home or car by a freak accident. I don't think we should actively be afraid of either group, though as an average US citizen the answer, to me, would be Al Qaeda. However, we should be watchful for any potential threat.

Kudos to you, I totally agree. We shouldn't forget that weapons and killing are merely tools for extremists. Their goal is to generate fear, with the idea that a frightened populace will submit to their demands or agendas.

I'm not saying that we shouldn't be concerned, but to live in fear of them is halfway to giving them what they want.

I would fear both groups, among others, but as my Nana used to say...

"DONT BE AFRAID OF THE DEAD, BE AFRAID OF THE LIVING!"