No Surpise

Is this really any surprise?

USA Today leads with police agencies across the country reporting that witnesses of violent crimes are often refusing to cooperate with investigations, which is decreasing the number of solved murders. An FBI spokesman says criminals have been successful in creating "a climate of fear" that leads witnesses to prefer silence in order to prevent retaliation.

As Michael Moore pointed out in Bowling For Columbine, the current culture of the U.S. is based on fear. The media perpetuates it and now politicians fuel and exploit it. Is it any wonder that criminals would jump on the bandwagon and successfully use intimidation? Put another way, when was the last time you saw people doing the right thing in the face of intimidation popularized in our culture?