The communists were an international conspiracy that worked to take over the world and enslave us all. Now the Islamists are an international conspiracy that is working to take over the world and enslave us all. In between, the drug epidemic was going to enslave us all. Yes, this is actual right-wing belief. It has less to do with an actual enemy than with a world view that defines the person by membership in a group that is itself defined and disciplined by existential threats to the group.

This psychotic brand of paranoia is even more absurd and loony than the Protocols of the Elders of Zion and 'Jews use Christian babies blood to bake their Passover matzos'. Just imagine, armadas of thousands of Islamic ships surrounding our shores and millions of heavily armed Islamic warriors defeating the US military and flooding the countryside, burning down churches, football and baseball stadiums, discotheques and bars, forcing a nation of 300 million people(and the most powerful economic and military country in the history of the world) to be pious Muslims or die. This is collective insanity of the highest and most deranged order. The only danger of religious nature our nation faces is from the rapturistas and Armageddonistas who are represented by GWB in the white house and are forcing this nation back to the middle ages.

The "Daddy Party" folks -- the brave Yellow Elephants and chicken hawks, who are the only ones who can protect us from such horrors -- are scared to death. And they see only one way to retain power: make others afraid too. The very act of scaring us only heightens their own heebie-jeebies, and the feedback loop spins further and further out of control.

I saw a few minutes of "Thirteen Days" on the teevee yesterday. The Cuban Missile Crisis? THAT was scary. Fearing the conversion of the U.S. in to an Islamist state? Laugh-out-loud funny.

Of course they imagine the Islamists imposing Sharia because that's what they'd do if the shoe was on the other foot. And of course they know that the best way to bring someone around to your point of view is to kill their family. Works every time.

Of course, leave it to our resident troll to actually FEAR Democracy.

What is the main reason for the disconnect between reality and fantasy? This always puzzled me about certain educated friends and commentators. Why does their education and common sense fail them? Do people just crack under pressure and follow the most radical murderous leader on a podium?

I'm just amazed at the shift to extremism in reaction to a threat that has been there all our lives. Fortunately a large percentage of Americans see the real threat as this over-reaction to terrorism, the willingness to give up basic human rights for fear of living under Sharia law. Its even funny to type that delusion.

"... if we lose and fall under religious law, there not only will be no gay marriage, there will be no women's rights, no freedom of the press, no basic human rights, not even – as in the case of Iran – any music."

One path to this sorry condition would be the creation of an all-powerful executive branch having the power to do anything it wants without legislative or judicial support. Once this is accomplished, the islamists just need get a mole elected president and it's game over.

This sounds a lot like what the Conservatives believed about the Communists in Asia.

“We have to stop them in Vietnam or else…or else they will take over the entire world and…and…and our country will be utterly destroyed!”

This kind of hysteria was common thinking during the build-up to Vietnam and people were still saying it even as we were leaving Saigon! They were convinced beyond any doubt that within six months of our leaving Vietnam the commies would be launching nukes at us or invading our shores. (Does any of that fear of withdrawal sound familiar?)

The only mystery is why we listen to these hysterics anymore and treat them as serious scholars?

These people are uniquely obsessed with the foreign “other” that is going to jump out from under the bed and kill them.

This kind of phobia needs to be (and I say this seriously) treated as a neurosis and mental disorder rather than a nuanced, pragmatic political viewpoint.

People could have been forgiven Vietnam as nothing like it had really happened before – but to literally repeat point-for-point every single mistake in thinking, planning and execution that occurred during our disastrous military campaign in Vietnam in Iraq bespeaks more of mental disorder then “honest” mistakes.

Whenever Bush shrugs his shoulders and excuses the disaster in Iraq by saying, “Mistakes were made!” I can’t help but think of a gambling addict or a junkie in prison for a B and E excusing his behavior by shrugging his shoulders and saying, “Mistakes were made, dude! Stop getting on my case and telling me what to do! You’re not perfect!”

Sigh.

Every fascist and paranoid regime needs to single out a bogyman to rally the masses to its cause. Hitler designated the Jews as the mortal enemy of the Germans. The neocons/Bush/Cheney and their lunatic supporters, including morons like Roger Simon, have designated Islam. It's ironic that the Bush family doesn't fear having extremely close ties to the Wahabi Saudi royal family which sponsors thousands of madrases around the world, madrases that teach the most extreme interpretation of Islam, are vehemently anti-west and anti-American and produce the most militant jihadists.

The U.S.A has MUCH more to fear from Christianist-fascists then Islamo-fascists.

It is funny that the same people scared of the Islamists hold much the same beliefs, oh, except they worship Jesus instead of Mohamed.

Also, haven't gays been killed in the U.S. just for being gay, and weren't they killed by Christians?

The cited essay raises important questions that cannot be as easily dismissed as Glenn suggests. No, the Muslim world is not going to invade the United States anytime soon. The U.S. does, however, actively support (through financial aid, military aid, military advise, economic development, etc.) foreign regimes that do, indisuptably, treat women and gays as lesser beings clearly not entitled to equal protection (or in some cases any protection) under the laws of that state. Relevant conversation should include discussion of whether and to what extent the US should continue to support states that actively repress women and other minority groups. When we decided, as a nation, that we would no longer tolerate aparthied in South Africa, we did something about it and contributed to change for the better. We elect to ignore the status of women in states such as Saudi Arabia. But should we?