Originally Posted by Dovster
Actually, I don't believe that the next time will be an attack on one of those. And, yes, it will top 9/11 -- perhaps not in the number of deaths but in emotional impact...The 9/11 attacks were on New York and Washington and while they infuriated Americans everywhere did not really hit home to small town USA. My gut feeling is that the next set will do exactly that...The message will be that Americans are not safe anywhere...While Israel takes all reasonable steps to protect itself, we realize that as horrible as a terrorist murder is it actually has no strategic value unless we give it that value. Hence, the day after an attack here life goes back to normal....Yes, America has got to take reasonable precautions but it also has to realize two things:
1. Another attack is inevitable and unavoidable.
2. The terrorists will determine the extent of the immediate damage; America will determine the extent of the long-term damage.
I agree with your statements. However, I don't fully agree with #2 in your conclusion. I partially agree that the real effects of terrorism are short term, and I partially agree that the long term effects are determined how Americans react. The only caveat I would add is how long it will be before Americans really and truly understand terrorism and decide to take a tougher stance against it. By tougher stance, I don't mean passing more laws. I mean taking the same attitude as Israelis do: accepting terrorism for what it is, mourning the losses of those victimized by it and then continuing on with life. Terrorism remains effective only as long as those victimized by it continue to react to it with concern and worry. In this, I think you and I strongly agree.
I accept your criticisms of airport security. I, too, want to see more common sense applied to security screening. The more I read about this ridiculous ban on lighters, the more I'm convinced that it's not so much about banning butane fuel as a potential flame accelerant as it is another anti-smoking measure. I don't see it as a grand conspiracy as I joked about in another post, but I do see it as probably something that was considered as it was written into legislation. Either way, I agree with you that the ban itself epitomizes as one wise philosopher once put it, "stupid is as stupid does."