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We have recently witnessed a number of rather extreme view points from some individuals over the last few days. Having gone through an election in India recently, it would be interesting to compare the situation in India with that in America. In India most people are aware of the extremist groups such as the RSS, the Shiv Sena etc and their distinct intolerance for non-Hindu ideals, which they attempt to wrap/disguise in the form of nationalism and national security. In the Islamic world, Bin Laden and Co, who were brought up under the intolerant Wahabi tradition, have chosen to blame the failures of their nation states on the outsiders. Likewise, America too has witnessed the rise of a rather extreme group, representing the worst of an intolerant form of christianty that the world has not witnessed for a very long time. The common thread of all these groups is religious intolerance, which they disguise in a variety of manners. In the middle east, it is of course the Palestinian issue. In India, it was Hindutva, or the preservation of India's so called "hindu culture". In America, the Bin Laden terrorist strikes and the resultant phony war on "terror" and campaign of fear have served as very convenient camoflage for their real agenda. While there are many similarities, there are vast differences as well. Unlike say the middle east, the extremist christian right wing does not command the majority of the current ruling class. Most people of the republican party would be ashamed to be associated with the ridiculous falsehoods that have been posted on this forum very recently. (conversely, most democrats would not fully accept many of the outlandish claims made by Moore in Farenheit 911). What is unfortunate however, is that the right wing christian extremists have steathly grabbed an exceedingly larger portion of the moderate republican agenda. What is the agenda of these extremists? Very clearly, it is supression of free and logical thought so that it conforms to their interpretation of the bible - America afterall, according to them was founded upon christian principles. The so called war on terror is billed as an effort to protect America's freedom, from the islamic facists. Who would argue with that? Unfortunately, what many do not realize is that there is a parallel culture war being waged within America itself - to control how people think. As a result, there is no allowance for tolerance withing their agenda. It is not a suprise therefore that America has not been more divided since the Vietnam war. A victory by George Bush could have two outcomes. If he is more successful in keeping the relgious right wing in check in his second term, he could follow in the successful footsteps of his Republican predecessors. If he fails, it could result in an explosion of the culture war in America. If Kerry wins, the right wing will be automatically neutralized. Given that two of Bush's most moderate cabinet members Condoleezza Rice and Colin Powell plan to resign after the election, the direction of Bush's future direction does not look very promising.