Originally Posted by
polonius
Compared to other causes of death, terror is almost irrelevant. How many people die in terror incidents every year -- 500? 1000? How is that we have a society that quietly and casually accepts a half-million people dying in auto accidents every year (including an average of around 3000 in New York state, meaning that New York suffers the equivalent of a WTC attack EVERY year due to automobiles), without people running around hysterically trying to take away a PRIVILEGE as relatively unimportant as automobiles, yet they DO think it's justified to systematically deprive people of basic civil RIGHTS, start illegal wars, kidnap hundreds and hold them in secret cells in response to a relatively tiny number of deaths from terrorism?
This is EXACTLY the explanation I use when people say they are afraid of terrorists, flying or traveling abroad. I ask them how many people they know that have died from a terrorist attack. Then I ask them how many people they know that have died in car accidents. I ask how many people they know that have died from smoking-related illnesses. I ask how many people they know that have died from heart disease or cancer. This response either shuts down the discussion or opens up a new discussion on the ridiculousness of the Kabuki-We-Care-About-Feeling-Safe-Not-Being-Safe-Security-Charade.