I was all set to write about my simple theory that these Repugs believe that any desired end justifies any means is the primary problem and then you, WT, Glenn and Fronts NYC had to go deeper and try to explain why the Repugs think through fear and don’t see the hypocrisy in their thinking.

Jim, I chose a more diverse view of authority and have been looking back at my early days of life in the Lutheran farm state of North Dakota in a family with a bi-polar mother to understand why I care about other people and made a choice to see the world the way I want to see it regardless of what others tell me my view should be. A capsule view of how I came to this decision, might be helpful in the very important discussion that you stimulated.

In a state with major Native American reservations and where no blacks lived so we persecuted Indians and itinerant Mexicans, the prescient indian philosophy that we have to walk in another’s moccasins, before we judge them, struck me early on as very valid and useful. I chose to veer from the absolute authority figure and stop blaming other’s for my problems for two primary reasons, my religion and my mother. Even though my dad beat me when my mentally ill mother manipulated him due to his desperate love for her and the hideous images of his merciless authoritarian father, I chose to not blame him or my mother. I knew I had a choice because I lived in a small, safe town and at five could run all over including down to the river and go to the store or a movie by myself. I also knew because my pastor told me to love my fellow man and community more than the fear of retribution for my sins.

I also learned to respect women early on because I was socialized as both a boy and a girl. I had a twin sister and when she got tired of playing with her dolls and I tired of my guns, we switched toys. My parents did their gender socializing with both of us present.

Those raised through fear by authoritarian fathers and pastors and taught that choices lead to sin and retribution and that putting others down lifts me up, are trapped into choosing blame to explain the inner emotional fear of facing themselves and taking responsibility for the consequences of their decisions, I learned on my own when I screwed up, I faced the consequences. They learned that others make the decisions until I’m old enough to take over and that when consequences happen that the group or I dislike, it was because someone dangerously veered from the norm. They learn to rationalize to the weirdest degree, to keep their black and white world intact.

Then when you throw in sex that has to be kept behind closed doors and you aren’t even allowed the simple pleasures of masturbation or choosing your natural sexual orientation, it’s no wonder we see such convoluted thinking and political actions.

Understanding all of that means those who choose choice in their and others’ lives, need to be very steadfast, like Glenn, in defending our secular beliefs even though at our core we want to revel in the beauty of life, compassion for others and the need to just get along. These instincts natural to us make us less capable warriors in the fight and we must fight against that because our cause is right and just and most needed for “mankind” to survive.

Blowback seems such a mild word for the dark tragedy that would result from just an aerial attack on Iran. I’m reminded of a statement made by an Iranian on CNN’s “ God’s Warriors” series that I like America, but if they attack us all Iranians will fight to the death like we and our children did in the war with Iraq.

The millions killed in that war and the young boys sent as fodder out in front of the men as a shield is the kind of sacrifice that does not compare to our approach to war. We will see what has happened in Iraq as mild compared to a war with Iran. The fact that Iran has a lot of citizens who do not want Iran run by the more rabid Ayatollahs and in time, may well prevail, is irrelevant to the neocon nuts.

Of course Iran gives support for their long oppressed Shiite brothers in Iraq. It was not Iraqi Shiites who started the war with them. It was their Shiite brothers who were killed in the hundreds of thousands after the first Gulf War. If we didn’t want Iranian military assistance to hinder our second war, the solution was simple- don’t invade.

While I was speaking to a MoveOn.org war protest group last night and relating the sinking feeling I had in 2002 in the pit of my stomach when I realized that junior was actually planning to invade Iraq. I told them that same feeling was with me again regarding Iran, especially after hearing that damn Bush speech to the American Legion.

We need just one of our major Democratic presidential candidates to have the guts to speak up on Iran and the neocon-Israeli fantasies. I note all of them have remained silent so far. The first one who does stands a good chance of winning the Democratic nomination and the presidency. It must be the fear of AIPAC that keeps them silent. And our wonderful M$M feels that questions about senator Craig are much more important.

And Ghillie, I agree with you that the generals and admirals could stop it. My head says they will, my gut feels otherwise.

Of all the important things that we have discussed on Glenn’s thread, none is more important than this one.