The spectres I raise are pretty much at home, Amos. Therefore they do not serve to justify any foreign wars. Nor do they serve to justify expanded military spending, reduction of civil liberties, and/or violent actions of any sort against anyone. I find them preferable to the violence-promoting and war-promoting spectres your presidents and candidates keep raising all the time in order to pander to votes.

The spectres I raise are also not among the poor and powerless of this world, they are among the rich and privileged.

If you look at a history of fascists and authoritarian governments, you will find that they search for bogeymen in 2 places: Among the powerless or outnumbered in their own society, and among the not-too-powerful in foreign countries that they think will be quite easy to win a war against.

I believe in cleaning one's own house first. Got any problem with that concept?

I've been aware for a long time that I'm witnessing the rise of greater militarism, authoritarianism, and fascism right here at home in my own North American society (which includes Canada, Mexico, and the USA), and that's what concerns me. I'm witnessing the erosion of what was once a reasonably democratic situation...but no longer.

If Obama is a man of genuinely progressive ideals, that's something that he is going to have to watch out for. I don't know for sure yet if he is such a man, and I won't know until after he's elected and we see what he actually does in the first year or two. Then it will become plain enough.

As for McCain? Well, just more of the militaristic drumbeat is what I see happening there. It would be like electing Sergeant Fury (retired) and his Howling Commandos to run the USA. Not even worth thinking about, as far as I'm concerned.

If he's elected, though, I will shrug philosophically and continue with my main work which is simply managing my own life reasonably while it lasts.