'Duct Tape and Plastic Cover' Instill Fear of Attack

Author: Daryn Cambridge

During the Cold War, due to the lingering threat of a possible nuclear attack, a generation of Americans were told that if they were to "duck and cover" they would be safe from a nuclear explosion.
Looking back on history, the "duck and cover" mode of protecting oneself was clearly made up to give citizens a false sense of security.
It also instilled fear into the general public, whose support was needed for a war against the "communist aggressors."
One of the strongest and most effective ways to rally support behind a cause is to strike fear into the public so that in its desperation, the public puts its faith behind the administration that claims to have the ability to solve the problem and thus alleviate those fears.
The Bush administration and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) have thus far provided the American people with useless information whose sole purpose is to keep the American public scared in hopes of maintaining support for the Bush administration and its global power initiatives.
The DHS threat level advisory serves no purpose other than to raise anxieties and fears in the American public.
Despite what Tom Ridge and John Ashcroft say at press conferences, a threat level orange essentially tells Americans to be scared of something without any relevant information as to where or what should be a cause of concern.
In the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) newly revised "'Are You Ready?' Guide to Citizen Preparedness," it reads, "Be aware of your surroundings. The very nature of terrorism suggests that there may be little or no warning."
Terrorism has created an ambiguous and unspecific threat for the American people, so that their fears can be transformed into support for war.
What does "be aware of your surroundings" mean anyway?
It means that whenever you are around "soft targets" -- which could mean anything from shopping malls to public parks -- one should be aware and on the lookout for a possible terrorist, a bomb or an explosion. It means one should be constantly afraid, constantly nervous, constantly in need of someone to take away one's fears and take care of the "evil" that threatens one's existence.
What did it for me this past week were the assertions that duct tape and plastic sheet covering were going to protect someone from a terrorist's biological, chemical or radiological attack.
How can the Bush administration tell people to go about their daily lives, to not be afraid, and, to quote John Ashcroft, "let the professionals worry," when they are suggesting that it would be a good idea to stock up on duct tape, plastic sheet covering, batteries, water and flashlights?
The administration doesn't want the public to worry, yet it claims the country and its citizens are in a situation that would warrant such precautions.
What kind of game is it trying to play with the American public? "Duct tape and plastic sheet covering" is slowly but surely becoming the "duck and cover" of the 21st century.
The Bush administration's use of scare tactics is nothing more than history repeating itself.
But this time, the evil that threatens the American "homeland" is a lot more ambiguous, is far more "evil" and is conveniently connected to Saddam Hussein and Iraq (if you believe the new bin Laden tapes).
The cause that Osama bin Laden really supports: the fight to dispel the American infidel from the Muslim holy land, or rather, the battle to put a friendly regime in Afghanistan, through which the Bush administration has wanted to build an oil pipeline originating in the Caspian Sea region?
Or perhaps bin Laden supports the struggle to provide more evidence into the need to alter the Iraqi regime -- a country at the heart of the oil rich Middle East with a leader who tried to kill Dubya's daddy.
Osama bin Laden and the fears that rise from his existence have conveniently helped to aid the Bush administration's global power initiatives.
I ask for us all to be much more critical and ask the questions that we sometimes hesitate to ask. Who really holds the power to scare the general public?

Daryn Cambridge is an English and philosophy joint major from Arlington, Virginia.