from "Muddling Through Somehow in Christmases Past -- From Air Raids to Anarchists, Fear Was a Frequent Guests At Our History's Holidays" by Cynthia Crossen (ccrossen@pipeline.com, or wudart@aol.com), which instructs--I mean discusses--how people should celebrate holidays during times of crisis:

"There were early equivalents of foreign terrorists, too -- anarchists, who believed all government was a hindrance to peace and equality. Fanatical, mobile and willing to die for their cause, the anarchists believed in 'propaganda by the deed.' That translated into bombs in theaters and cafes, assassinations, arson. __Newspapers and magazines were filled with accounts of their bloody attacks, whipping up an almost hysterical fear in some cities.__" [my underlines]



who said irony is dead??

and then this gem quoting that paradigm of intellect and freedom, Teddy Roosevelt:

"In 1901, President Theodore Roosevelt, whose predecessor, William McKinley, had been killed by an anarchist, declared that 'anarchism is a crime against the whole human race, and all mankind should band against the anarchists.'"

And this final beaut:

"...And today's global dissemination of news about violence and disease acquaints many people with threats that, 100 years ago, they wouldn't have known existed."

Too bad they are not also provided with accurate context to go along with all these new things to be afraid of. But I guess that's another thing that hasn't changed since 100 years ago either.

I wonder if study of chaos and chaos theory also qualifies as anarchist "terrorist" activity. If so, then Crossen's husband James Gleick might be in biiiig trouble.