Originally Posted by bdschobel
Even if I agreed with you -- and I don't -- the threat is tiny! The U.S. is overreacting to it in ways that make us look like frightened children.
I agree completely.
Bruce
You are right, the chance of any of us being a direct victim of terrorism is small.
9/11= 3,000 direct victims (+/-)
Population = 250 million
In the 9/11 attack, you had a 1 in 83,000 chance of being a fatality.
But those weren't the only victims, and actually we all are victims. Our economy took a severe hit and still is. Thousands lost jobs, and businesses are still suffering the effects.
Al Qeada picked their target well, once in '93 and again on 9/11. They know our country revolves around one of the most talked about subjects in this forum, money. Just this year, indictments were handed down for an alledged Al Qeada cell targeting the financial district in New York.
The 9/11 hijackers weren't trying to topple the towers, this was an added bonus for them. They were trying to disrupt our economy, which they had a huge success.
Will they try again? I think being a realist, you would have to say that it wasn't a coincidence that terrorist target areas of finance. The mood of the terrorist hasn't changed, the ability may have for now, but they can wait for complacency.
I guess the definition of being a victim is relative, if you lose your life or a family member or a friend, those are obvious victims. If you lose your life's savings you may be a victim. If you lose your job, you may be a victim. If you lose your retirement, you may be a victim. I guess it just depends if it is you or someone else that loses, whether they are considered a victim.