Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid (Some More)

A reader, Marc, writes:

In the week when Domestic Terrorist Scott Roeder is convicted in a civilian court rather than a military tribunal why didn’t they write a cover story about whether you had to be afraid of the Pro-(unborn)Life activist next door. Or whether Christianity is responsible for their terrorist views?

Incidentally, my wife’s reaction was “Great, more fear mongering.”

My take was similar to his wife’s, the facing inside pages having a similar vibe to TIME’s Nidal Hasan “x-ray” cover. The (racially-loaded) message is, “fear your neighbor … who could well be an Islamic time bomb.”

My other take was that the cover pic, which feels chronologically most recent, not only says: “I’m so happy I’ve arrived,” but also has the feel — with sadism — of: “I’m coming to get you.”

(photos: Hammami Family)