When I was in an airport soon after September 11, the airport was filled with military people, probably National Guard--I'm no expert on uniforms, a real military man probably could have immediately picked out what they were and even where they were stationed--carrying automatic rifles. Maybe they were loaded, maybe they weren't.

And there have been armed and uniformed guards near my house at Moffett Field. The last few days, fighter jets have been buzzing over my house now and again. Maybe they have armed missiles under the wings, maybe not.

I do not find them threatening, I find them comforting.

Because you see, we don't live in a dictatorship. We don't live under a Marxist regime. We don't live in a nation where the armed men are hand-picked goons, chosen for obedience and mindlessness, and the army is something for citizens to fear.

We live in the United States, where our military are free men and women, volunteers from next door, and despite the squalling from the Conspiracy Nuts on the far left and the far right, I am not concerned about them suddenly hauling me off to a prison camp for looking at them crosseyed.

These are not goons, they are people like you and me, doing a job to protect us. They smile, they chat, and they act with professionalism when necessary. I have confidence in them, and in their training. Their guns don't worry me any more than do the guns in the holsters of policemen.

If you are one of those people who think that we are just one step from dictatorship*, then I suppose you will find it frightening. Sorry, can't help you there.

*I find it amusing that you are constantly vigilant against Republicans on this, while ignoring the leftists who have a proven track record of creating actual dictatorships everywhere they have taken total control.