‘While Cindy Sheehan was being dragged from the House gallery moments before President Bush delivered his State of the Union Address for wearing a T-shirt honoring her son and the other 2,244 U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq, Turki al-Faisal was settling into his seat inside the gallery.  

Al-Faisal, a Saudi, is a man who has met Osama bin Laden and his lieutenants on at least five occasions, describing the al Qaida leader as "quite a pleasant man." He met multiple times with Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar. Yet, unlike Sheehan, al-Faisal was a welcomed guest of President Bush on Tuesday night. He is also a man that the families of more than 600 victims of the 9/11 attacks believe was connected to their loved ones' deaths.’ 

Bush's Troubling SOTU Guest

‘Following accelerating criticism that the Bush Administration's domestic spying program violated every possible U.S. law and Constitutional amendment, the Bush Administration has now renamed its blatantly illegal domestic spying program the "terrorist surveillance program." Fox News has already adopted the moniker, resorting to classic Orwellian Newsspeak to convince viewers that since this illegal government operation contains the word "terrorist," it must be okay.  

Where would George Bush be today without the word "terror," by the way? That single word, it seems, is solely responsible for Bush's continued popularity among simple-minded Americans. Without the word "terror," Bush would have no war, no foreign policy, no justification for decimating the Constitution, and nothing to talk about in his speeches. His entire presidency since 9/11, a few observant people are realizing, is really based on just two things: terror and tyranny. And he's using the former to achieve the latter. 

The Terror Of President Bush

‘President Bush and
Attorney-General Alberto Gonzales insist that the National Security Agency's
warrantless wiretapping of American citizens is a necessary "terrorist
surveillance program." And polls show that most Americans support
permitting the government to tap the phone calls and e-mails of those
considered "suspicious."

But what exactly does that mean? A close look suggests that the feds'
definition of a "suspected terrorist" may not meet the laugh test.

A
Terrorist On Every Corner

‘During the 1950s, our government succumbed to the fear of
Communism hyped by Senator Joseph McCarthy. People lost their jobs, lives were
ruined, and many committed suicide in response to the "red scare."
Fear pervaded every facet of life, leading neighbours to inform on one another. 

CBS newscaster Edward R. Murrow was one of the few
journalists who had the courage to stand up to the fear-mongering and bring the
truth to the American people. Describing the omnipresent fear that the
government was fostering, Murrow told his colleagues, "The terror's in the
room."’ 

Spinning Fear