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CLOUDY Temp: 50 °F Wind: NNW at 6 mph Monday, April 14, 2003 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend March 16, 2003 Golden fears Bush policies will lead to more terrorism By DAMIAN MANN Mail Tribune About the only thing Jeff Golden and Lars Larson have in common other than being talk show hosts is that they dated the same woman at different times in their younger days. Golden, who is on Jefferson Public Radio every weekday morning, has become an island of alternative radio in a sea of conservative talk shows in Oregon, creating what he refers to in his gentlemanly manner as "a place where people feel comfortable to express their views." He doesn’t, however, find the same sort of sentiment circulating among many of his conservative colleagues. "I think it’s an upsetting time," he said. "People are raw and vulnerable and it’s an easy time to appeal to fear and insecurity and offer a kind of a tribal connection of us good guys against the rest of the world." He thinks the fear stretches back before 9/11. "For a couple of decades now, people are less secure about their economic future, the different racial mixes, and they are scared about cultural trends with kids and video games and movies." The payoff for conservative talk radio has been to create a sense of community. "Rush Limbaugh and others have done this brilliantly," he said. When Golden, who doesn’t like to be labeled a liberal, goes to bed at night, he sometimes reflects on how intellectually he is opposed to almost everything President Bush stands for. But he has a nagging little voice that craves the more simplistic view of the world offered by Bush. "There’s a little part of me that hopes he’s right and that good will triumph over evil," he said. But the reality for Golden is a much darker impression of the direction America is heading, where the bellicose policies of the United States will end up producing more terrorists for the nation’s children and grandchildren to contend with. Golden said insecurity in the world is causing more people to be fearful and look for a safe place to hide. "People are turning to Rush and Michael Savage," he said. "They are circling the wagons and holding off the Mongol hordes." He is fond of referring to a story about a Cherokee man talking to a child, telling him that there are two wolves warring inside of him. One wants peace and harmony, the other wants war and hate. "Which one wins is the one I feed," the Cherokee says. "Right now," said Golden, "we are feeding the frightened violent wolf in all of us." Reach reporter Damian Mann at 776-4476, or e-mail [email protected] Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback A D V E R T I S E R S