Overlooking the real risk of an airline bombing or hijacking.

[gulliver]

People who are jumping all over the TSA pat-downs as "trading freedom for a little security" are missing something. We seem to be forgetting one simple fact of American life: Americans are completely fear/rage spastic.

Of course the pat-downs and super-powerful screen-a-ma-bobs are theater! And yes, absent that theater, of course there would be a minuscule increased probability of a plane that you personally happen to board being bombed or hijacked. That fact tends to have people saying things like, "Why heck, that's a lower risk than driving a car to the airport or sharing an elevator with a cigar smoker! Stupid TSA! Cowardly Americans! Don't grope me, bro!"

But it's not that simple. Look what happened to this country after the 9/11 hijackings and suicide bombings. I remember it. I remember witnessing a gut-wrenching, mind-boggling political and psychological upheaval. We physically lost three thousand people, four planes, and some major buildings, but that was the skin on the tomato. Large segments of the population were driven into a panicky, angry PTSD syndrome from which they have yet to recover. An unnecessary, ruinously costly war was started. Republican political power waxed full, allowing Wall Street free reign to run amok and bring down the economy.

If 9/11 were to happen again, my chance, as an American, of dying from it would be (someone check me) about 1 in 100,000. Does that mean I shouldn't worry that it would happen again?

Unfortunately, even a simple airline bombing that killed maybe 300-400 people would cause an ungodly amount of secondary psychological, social, and physical damage. Lots of Americans would go into another panic-fear-rage seizure. The country's demagogues would go to work. Manufacturers of passenger screening technology, not to mention Republicans and Fox News, would be screaming "Why did Obama halt the deployment of the systems that were keeping us safe?" Newt Gingrich, Sarah Palin and John McCain would screech "Obama pulled us out of Iraq too soon! We were fighting them over there to keep them from coming here, and he stopped fighting them over there!" Glenn Beck would explain to his orc broods and Eleanor Rigbys that Soros was behind the bombing to shock Americans into rallying around the puppet president.

The TSA political theater matters. Would that it weren't so. "All the world's a stage."

On edit: Changed to be more specific in the use of "spastic" so as not to inadvertently diminish those who suffer from spasms of the medical variety.

[uppityperson]

1. Would you please change a bit of wording there "completely spastic"?

Having had a parent and friends with varied neurological conditions that made them "spastic", this is offensive. Thank you.

[gulliver]

4. Well its dictionary definition isn't strictly clinical.

It is "Of, relating to, or characterized by spasms." And spasms are not just physical ones caused by diseases.

[uppityperson]

5. Fear spasms works, thank you.

Having had a parent with a neurological disease reply to "boy are you spastic" when dropped a glass with "well, yes I am" made an impression on my and I do not like the term in most usages. Thanks for the reply and it works.

[de novo]

2. I see it going the other way. The new measures heighten fear.

The new practices exacerbate the fear of a terrorist attack rather than prevent one. In effect, it makes it worse if we are hit again. I agree with Kerry of '04. We need to reduce terrorism to a nuisance, a crime that will not be 100% prevent, like all crimes. But, let's not pile on the political import that can buckle the country. Let's not cower in fear from it. Let's not sacrifice our freedoms to provide a false sense of security.

[gulliver]

6. And I also agree it needs to become an accepted risk of life.

But that's not the situation as it stands now in America, and I don't see the numerous, sober, repeated conversations with the American people occurring that would make that situation come about. This attack on the new procedures is healthy. It actually created a backlash to the fear. I'm just pointing out that, as things sit now, there is still no way America would be cool with another hijacking or bombing. They would freak.

[de novo]

7. But a new or next attack is all but inevitable.

It really isn't a question of if, but of when. I agree the backlash is good. We have to draw the line somewhere. Yet, it still thrusts the fear to the forefront.

The Administration, by taking these further measures is giving the American people a false sense of security in addition to added fear. If (when) an attack occurs, even if the numbers of casualties are low, there will be a rush to blame the Administration. By elevating the fear and the impact of terrorism, they are accepting a level of ownership. If the logic is played out, most understand that these measures are not improving our security. But, they are increasing our fear and the visibility of a terrorist attack.

If there is an attack, people will freak. More so now than before.

[gulliver]

8. I believe that is unfortunately true.

The political climate makes it impossible to admit that, though. Obama would have to do a lot of talking and get a lot of Republicans side-by-side with him in agreement before he could get the American people to weigh their risks and accept them. Maybe, if it continues, this TSA backlash can get that kind of talk going. I don't see it though. I haven't seen any Republican leaders crying out against the TSA either. No one wants to be the one who said this particular security theater should stop. They know the other side would eat them alive for it when the next hijacking or bombing occurs.

[Greyhound]

3. That straw you're grasping at won't save you from drowning, sorry.

Stupid and terrified are no way to go through life.

[Ghost Dog]

9. 300 000 000 / 3000 = 100 000 Yes. But not all who died on that day were US

citizens. I mean, nothing personal, but how many fucking times does it have to be said (or desn't your media, usually, say it: does it in fact lie?)???

A significant percentage were British, for example, and a not insignificant percentage were what some are happy to term 'illegal immigrants'.

Everything else you say makes perfect sense, in the context of my understanding of the nature of batshit manic-aggressive USA, a 'place' I have never set foot myself.

Edit: Pleased to meet you gulliver.

[Angry Dragon]

10. Our military kills thousands in other countries

and it seems like no big deal
A few hundred people get killed here
and the whole country wants to go
and carpet bomb another country.

What needs to be done is to find out
why terrorists are being created.
That is the only way to stop the
the creation of terrorists.