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There was a time when al-Qaida actually needed to blow something up in order to scare us into overreaction. After a while, we got so nervous that a failed plot would send our leaders lunging for daddy’s junk and granny’s shoes. Now, the botched plans don’t even have to involve people. A couple of dead dogs and a few whispered rumors may be all it takes for a new round of panic.

Or perhaps, just this once, our so-called defenders could stop acting like pussies and imbeciles. Perhaps they could cool it with the mega-expensive, mega-invasive, brain dead, one-size-fits all searches for terror weapons — as if each weapon will be the last. Perhaps they could pour more money into spotting actual terrorists.

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