The Elephant in the Room

WMD that didn't exist.

Yellow cake uranium that didn't exist.

Ties to Osama that didn't exist.

Secret detention facilities that don't exist.

Liars in the White House who don't exist. Ok, I made that one up.

Americans have grown accustomed to having their politicians lie to them, especially on the very long eve of an election. But this administration has made it into a higher art and the media is allowing the mistruths emitting from the West Wing to pass as "misinformation" and "exaggerations" and "fabrications" rather than calling them what they are: A bunch of big fat lies.

It's a tiny little word, lie, but one with enormous ramifications. Especially when the lies are used by a president to send our military to war. The same guy who also uses the open-ended war on terrorism to justify the abrogation of our civil liberties.

Since we can't get rid of the Elephant in the House anytime soon, let's at least acknowledge the elephant in the room: "Liberal media" or no, much of the press has continued to give the Bush administration a pass. Bush says warrantless wiretaps are necessary--must be so. Bush vilifies the NY Times--and only the NY Times--for the banking story; only a handful of newspaper editorial boards come to their defense.

Let's face it: This administration is incredibly able and talented when it comes to selling fear. Americans are afraid of the next 9/11 and rightfully so. But the most important thing I've learned is that you can't live in fear because that isn't living. And to paraphrase a very wise little fish in Finding Nemo, "If you never let anything happen to him, nothing will ever happen to him."

We can't keep "agreeing" to give up bits and pieces of our freedoms because we won't get them back. And we can't keep promising other countries those freedoms that we are willingly relinquishing. Go back to the beginning: "Give me liberty or give me death."