what is the basis for all the fear?

[unblock]

i mean seriously.

in this country's lifetime,
we've seen the british army march in our streets, both in the revolution and the war of 1812.
we've had brothers fighting brothers during the civil war.
we've had a major world power destroy half our navy in 1941.

all this on our own soil, nevermind what attacks we've endured on americans civilians and soldiers overseas.

and yet, "9/11 changed everything."

why?

a group of 19 people showed that, with considerable planning, determination, and a willingless to go to a certain death, they could kill 3,000 of us.

once. but they're dead, and can do us no further harm. sure, there are more where they came from, but such determination, skill, suicidal, homicidal insanity takes years to cultivate.

they tried to bring down the trade center 8 years earlier and failed. EIGHT YEARS earlier. yes, there was the cole in the interim.

but for the most part, these terrorists have not shown that they are htte kind of real, ongoing, large-scale threat that every day fear warrants.

the japanese had proven that they could conquer coutries and rule large populations. al qaeda has proven only that they can kill, and die themselves in the process.

i don't want in any way to diminish the horror of that day. but it must be seen in context. if they could kill 3,000 people every month, that would warrant plenty of fear and action. but 3,000 people, ONCE, without repeat, does not warrant discussion of postponing elections, for crying out loud!

oh, fdr, how america needs you!

just imagine, if, after 9/11, a president (not shrub) had said, "we have nothing to fear but fear itself" and quietly set about bringing al qaeda to justice just as we would with any other band of international murdering criminals. meanwhile, america goes on, calmly instituting greater security, but without fear. without it being front page news all the time. without it even being an election issue.

what a difference it all would have made.

these guys HAVE to go. they are destroying the very fabric of america.

we are a brave people. why are we led by fearmongers?

[NMDemDist2]

1. agreed, this has been whipped into a frenzy by the media

I can sympathize with the folks in NYC, but they have a real reputation for toughness and no bullshit

what's up with us?

[NC_Nurse]

2. Are you kidding?

Our culture thrives on fear! Every hurricane, every thunderstorm, serial killers, child abductors, drug-crazed lunatics. It's big business and media frenzy all the way baby!

It's become our national pastime and we've gotten the best people at the top to stoke the fire. We love obsessing over "threats" and "danger", it's seems like it's some kind of drama addiction.

Personally, I'm pretty sick of it... :boring:

[SoDesuKa]

3. American Bravery

I don't think Americans are brave at all. This is a country that bullies small, weak nations and proclaims great victories. Some of the hostility we've generated is coming back to us.

Here are a couple of books you might peruse:

• Blowback by Chalmers Johnson;
• Sorrows of Empire, also by Chalmers Johnson;
• Hegemony or Survival by Noam Chomsky;
• After the Empire by Emmanuel Todd;
• The Bubble of American Supremacy by George Soros; and
• Colossus by Niall Ferguson.

Americans love one-sided wars. Remember that opinion didn't sour on the Iraq war until they started fighting back.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

4. Do the math

i don't want in any way to diminish the horror of that day. but it must be seen in context. if they could kill 3,000 people every month, that would warrant plenty of fear and action. but 3,000 people, ONCE, without repeat, does not warrant discussion of postponing elections, for crying out loud!<<

130,000 dead each year from properly prescribed drugs in a clinical setting

45,000 or so dead in automobile accidents each year

Throw in the murders... and you have something to weigh this against.... not to minimize 911 but to put it in perspective.

http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig/thornton4.html

The number of murders in 1993 was about 23,000. (The way in which crime statistics are calculated was changed in 1993) This results in a back-of-the-envelope calculation of a murder rate (number of murders per 100,000 population) of 8.5. Dr. Thomas estimates that in that same year, that if they were still using 1960s medical technology and response times, the number of murders would have been around 67,000, or a murder rate of 24.8. This ghastly figure gives us a much clearer picture of what is happening in America, because the 24.8 rate is a better reflection of the number of attempted murders that would otherwise have resulted in death.

[fla nocount]

5. Turn off the tube, count your blessings, smile a lot. n/t

[MasonJar]

6. Europe and the UK have been suffering terror for years and they

do not spend every day freaking out about it; they do not let it ruin their lives and these countries are much closer to the source than the good old USofA.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

8. What else does he have?

"Europe and the UK have been suffering terror for years and they do not spend every day freaking out about it; they do not let it ruin their lives and these countries are much closer to the source than the good old USofA.<<

It is your prez who had nothing to stand on before 911 who has turned it into his personal 15 minutes of fame. Commercialized it.. found a way to benefit his thug friends by invading nations rather than going after the perps.... and generally used it to bully congress, our allies.... and the American people. Long live king george.

[maggrwaggr]

7. like most things it's all about $$$

If people are scared they will turn the TV on to make sure nothing bad is happening.

They will see commercials. They will spend money on things like smoke detectors and big SUV's and security gates and guns and bottled water.

They will let congress give their hard-earned money to megacorporations who make weapons of mass destruction.

Fear drives the whole American economy.

And it's not even fear of terrorists or crime. It's fear of growing older, fear of looking silly or ugly, fear of raising your kids the wrong way, fear of buying the "wrong" thing ..........