I've been surprised here in Petrolia, Calif., to hear some
people say they're afraid. Afraid of what, I ask. Remember, even in the days
when the imminent possibility of nuclear holocaust was dinned into
schoolkids, ducking and covering, California's north coast was held in high
esteem as a possible sanctuary. It's a reason why many nutsos, like the
Reverend Jim Jones, headed up to Mendocino or Humboldt counties in the years
when Mutual Assured Destruction seemed just around the corner.
In this case, after the terrible Sept. 11 attacks, people amid
the daily mill round our post office and local store were concerned about
further terrorist attacks, dire onslaughts on the Bill of Rights, war, or a
blend of all three.
We may yet see just such a dread combo, but to be honest about
it, I've been somewhat heartened, far beyond what I would have dared hope in
the immediate aftermath of the onslaughts. Take the pleas for tolerance and
the visit of President W. Bush to mosques. Better than FDR, who didn't take
long to herd the Japanese-Americans into internment camps.