I'm remembering the despair after the November 5, 2002 elections. Not specifically about the political parties -- I'm an independent -- but about the state of the American people, whose eyes and ears seemed at that time tightly closed. 2002, 2003, going into 2004 ... that was a very scary and crazy time. The general state of mind, from political leaders, the media, as well as from each other, was "do not speak, do not question, do not look and do not see, just follow the leader."

History shows us that any time the U.S. has gotten into the kind of blind nationalism we've been in for the last 5 years, it's been accompanied by extreme religious fervor, as well as a specific targetted group of citizens who serve as a scapegoat.

The U.S. seems to be emerging from what I think will be seen as one of the most disgraceful periods in its history. The biggest "war on terror" we've been engaged in is not with some foreign enemy, but the terror inside of ourselves that made us stop thinking, and to act in hateful, shameful ways towards each other and our fellow human beings.

It seems like we've made a little opening for ourselves now. What we do with it is up to us.