"Terror"--War---Feeling or Fact?

Recently I have been on the road up to northern Minnesota to visit my old friend Herman, the country boy lawyer in "Sofia, a small town near the famous Lake Woebegon, south of Brainerd, Mn. In these days of the war on terror, I always find peace in fishing a few days in God's Country. All the tension of modern life just fades away.

So---I mentioned to Herman, over a strong, black coffee, lots of sugar and no whipped cream, served in those big blue Minnesota Viking mugs, that it sure was good to be far away from the stress of the "War on Terror." There was nothing to beat the peace of the north country.

Herman quickly corrected me----"Wolfman, you are dead wrong. Terror ain't just the facts, man, it's a feeling. Up here in God's country, we are very much an integral part of the "Big one"---the War on Terror."

"How so?," I asked. You are so far away from the big NY City. How could you be in any danger?

"Well, it's real simple. The terrorists are human too. They might just choose to take a little R & R, and try in one fell swoop to destroy the very heartland of America---the very thing that makes us GREAT---our heritage of fine fishing."

I was a little taken aback. Then Herman went on. " The federal government wisely sees my point, Wolfman, and has given 'Sofia" lots of "grants" for boats, radio equipment and best of all, them ATV's parked outside just in case we might need 'em to repel a foreign invasion. We even have have a special "terror" lock down drill that we go through once a year during peak fishing season where we mobilize as a community to simulate a terrorist attack.

"We want to FEEL safe, wolfman. We will spend any amount--or rather we will request that the FEDS spend any amount of money till we DO feel safe. It's the American Way. It's bein a REAL patriot!"

It sure is good to be back in good ol Wisconsin, where one is free of the primitive notions of the northern tundra!