To the editor:

Ed Gernon, producer of “Hitler: The Rise of Evil” for CBS, has lost his job for telling TV Guide that Americans supported President Bush’s policies out of fear. He earlier said fear was behind the German public’s acceptance of Hitler’s policies, not directly linking Bush to Hitler, but simply stating the obvious.

After 9-11, Bush consolidated 22 agencies into a mammoth “Homeland Security” department accountable to him. Civil liberties are eroding. A devastating war “to disarm” has morphed into a “liberation.”

Smallpox vaccinations, terror alerts and duct tape advisories kept the fear factor high. Now, if you express an opinion unfavorable to the Iraq war or Bush, your career and livelihood are in danger.

The Dixie Chicks have been bashed since Natalie Maines’ anti-Bush comments four weeks ago. The United Way canceled a Susan Sarandon event after 36 people complained about her antiwar views. The Baseball Hall of Fame also canceled an appearance by Sarandon and Tim Robbins.

Yet Michael Moore says that after his Oscar night speech his book returned to No. 1 on the bestseller lists. The Dixie Chicks are still selling out their concerts and their album was at No. 1 on the Billboard country charts last week.

They haven’t been hurt — but that’s not the story the spinners want to tell.

Ed Gernon hit a nerve and became an example. The truth is hidden in plain sight. Consent is being manufactured here, and dissent is now officially anti-American. Does anyone still remember McCarthyism?

Malika Lyon,

Lawrence