I saw the news today... oh boy...

Some things never change. In this case, familiarity breeds fear.

I remember it from childhood - the marching troops, the rows of tanks, the straining missiles, the primary colors... It was the Soviet Union in the 1970's being shown on the news in the same, old way. The news program was running old parade footage as if that was all the Soviet Union was, as if they were hell bent on destroying us... as if we didn't do the same damn things ourselves.

And then, this morning. I was at the gym, on the elliptical, watching the news. And there it was again - the marching troops, the rows of tanks, the straining missiles, the primary colors... but this time, it wasn't the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union's gone now and the men in charge need to provide us with a new enemy. They've gobbled through Iraq but now they have one they think will be even better: Iran.

Iran, the age-old enemy. Iran, the hater of America. Iran, the new and horrible threat.

Iran, the bill of goods. That's what they're trying to sell, and they're selling it in the same old way with the same old threats and the same old footage.

Are you going to buy it this time?

I won't.