Totally off topic, Re: Re: CI and airport scanners-

[Guest guest]

On Tue, 23 Nov 2010, nucleus24@... wrote:

> Once we get to thinking we're safe, they will strike. You cannot be

> TOO AFRAID of people who are trying to kill all of us. It's a scary

Actually, yes, you CAN be too afraid of people who might or might not be

trying to kill you.

In fact, look back at the root of the word, terrorist. They are trying to

terrorize you. If you give in and become afraid, then they've already won.

Clearly, the terrorists have already defeated YOU, since you are already

terrorized.

One of al-Quaeda's stated strategic goals is to collapse the U.S. economy,

and given how much we've spent on the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and

our current economic status, they're winning on that front, too. If they

provoke us into living into a state of fear and given up further freedoms,

then that's yet another victory for them. (See #1 and #5 at

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Qaeda#Strategy )

Please consider some perspective. About 3,000 people were killed in the

9/11 terrorist attacks, and consider that only 3 out 4 of those attacks

succeeded, because as they happened, the people on the 4th plane realized

what was going on and prevented the 4th attack right there. Without any

of those extreme measures from the TSA. And regardless of the TSA, no

terrorist will be able to do that kind of attack again, because now people

are aware of what can happen.

But meanwhile, every year in the U.S., 11,000 people are killed by guns.

Every year over 40,000 people are killed in car accidents. Every year up

to 440,000 people are killed by smoking-related causes. And if we average

out the terrorist-caused deaths in the U.S. over the last 10 years, every

year 300 people are killed by terrorists. More people are killed in the

U.S. every year by gun accidents (~650/year) than by terrorists.

Why the completely out-of-proportion response? You're far more likely to

die in a car accident than ever meet up with a terrorist, but do you fear

driving this much? You're more likely to die in a gun accident, let

alone, an intentional shooting, than by a terrorist attack, but do you

fear gun ownership this much?

Don't let the terrorists win, stop living in terror!

Ken

--

Chaos will ensue if the variable i is altered...

- SysV Programmers Guide