As the Iowa Caucus closes and the New Hampshire Primary looms on the horizon, most people have the Nation's politics at the forefront of their minds. After my recent visit to the Granite State, I was struck once again by the importance that election politics have in most people's everyday lives. Every night I went out on the town, the questions "Who are YOU voting for?" and "Did you see THIS commercial?" were frequently asked, something I am afraid to say is not commonplace in Boulder.

After my disillusionment in 2000 and 2004, where the United States elected arguably the worst president ever (twice), it was refreshing to get back in the thick of things and feel the sense of immediacy and involvement that NH offers. Which brings me to the ranting portion of this post. The following commercial is running in New Hampshire and Florida, the only states Rudy Guliani is currently focusing on:

So just to summarize...

BE AFRAID. BE VERY AFRAID. FEAR ARABS. THEY WILL KILL YOU. IT WILL HAPPEN SOON. VOTE GULIANI 2008.

I don't even know where to begin with this atrocious commercial. This is fear-mongering at its finest, currently a Rudy Guliani specialty. What is more interesting, beside its obvious pandering to xenophobic and outright racist Americans, is the fact that Guliani has built his questionable reputation as Mr. Tough Guy Vs. the terrorists. Is this really the truth? What does this commercial do other than inspire fear?

Let's take a look at the definition of "terrorism".

According to Wikipedia.com, Terrorism in the modern sense is "[1] violence, the threat of violence, or other harmful acts committed for political or ideological goals.[2] Most definitions of terrorism include only those acts which are intended to create fear (terror).

Can somebody, ANYBODY, explain to me how the above commercial is not designed or intended to create fear (terror)? If you can, please let me know. Until then, I will consider this commercial terrorism, and if you have the ability to think critically, you might just agree.