Scaring America to Death and to Vote

Human Events, 2004 by Jarvis, Charlie

Prepare to meet thy gloom! The "liberal" Fear Mongerers are coming out of the woodwork again, evangelizing every hamlet, town, city and media outlet near you. Their plan for redemption is costly; one that will demand and extract immense resources from you, your children, and your grandchildren.

The great English essayist G.K. Chesterton warned that when men no longer believe in the true God, it is not that they believe in nothing. They will believe anything.

For decades there has been a concerted effort to exorcise the "Creator" referred to in the Declaration of Independence from the public square and the cultural vacuum is filling, just as Chesterton said it would. The objective has been for America to be framed by a New Religion. Having jettisoned the God who gave just Ten Commandments to guide us, we now find ourselves weighed down by the New "Liberal" Religion's demanding doctrines with their multitudinous laws, regulations and statutes, and their innumerable rules, guidelines and ordinances. The new gospel is the Religion of Fear-Mongering.

Scaring the living bejabbers out of Americans is the chief evangelizing tool of this religion. The ultimate goal? Creation of a population that is utterly dependent on the grace and mercy of hallowed government.

How are the doctrines of the Religion of Fear-Mongering worked out in practical ways? Here are just two examples:

Environment and Health Fear Doctrine: Not only is the sky falling; the sky is actually killing us, according to the Fear Mongerers. So is food. And don't drink that glass of water! The Fear Mongerers believe that scaring us about one environmental doom and gloom or another will undermine our security and sense of well-being, keeping us off balance and making us more... pliable. Therefore they focus immense resources in communicating fear-provoking "research" and "education programs." The mainstream media plays the dutiful purveyor of the Gospel of Fear.

No one has shown more clearly how Americans are purposefully conditioned with panic than John Stossel, the ABC reporter and sometime co-host of that network's newsmagazine "20/20." In one special report, Mr. Stossel uncovered the well-orchestrated manipulation of elementary school children on environmental issues. Facts about the actual improvement of water quality, air quality and extended life expectancy over the last decades are actively suppressed and replaced by literal fabrications and fears. Children are the guinea pigs in this grand social experiment to indoctrinate in the Doctrine of Environmental Fear.

But adults are targets of Environmental Fear-Mongering also, with "Global Climate Disaster" being the ultimate Fear Doctrine. This doctrine, played up in the media every month with new potential horrors, contains the Ultimate Fear-America is destroying the whole world. Despite evidence to the contrary, the purveyors of this Fear Mythology persist and propose more Rube Goldberg regulations to confuse the masses.

Senior Fear Doctrine: The Fear Mongerers create panic in seniors by preaching about how "conservatives" plan to destroy Social security, Medicare, health care, and personal security. This form of Fear-Mongering never really stops, but it does intensify in every election cycle.

Does scaring seniors still work in politics? Yes, and a lot of money is spent to make sure it works. We need to counter this energetically and make sure Americans are deeply skeptical of politicians focusing campaigns on fear and negativism with no solutions.

USA Next will uncover and demolish the Religion of Fear-Mongering wherever it rears its ugly head. Every citizen must rebuff Fear-Mongering politicians. Oppose their agenda of panic vigorously. Action to take? Supporting the Stop Scaring Seniors Project of USA Next is an effective way to defeat the Fear Mongerers. Join today.

Charles Jarvis is Chairman and Chief Executive of USA Next and United Seniors Association.