There's no question that the world's response to a fairly small number of successful terror incidents must please the leaders of global jihadism. The industrial nations of the world are sinking hundreds of billions into security. I'm not sure that we'd spend this much in any military attempt to stamp them out. But in most cases, it is being done because of citizen demand. Not in the micromanagement sense, but there's relatively little rebellion over the costs of it. I think the jihadis are far less demanding of safety. Of course, they are also deluded enough to think God is approving their lives.

I am not sure it was/is public demand. I think it was/is public reaction.

Right after 9/11, everyone was running around like a chicken with its head cut off. No one really knew what to do because this had never happened before on American soil. So, the government threw out the PATRIOT Act and started raising the "terror level alert" every time someone in the Middle East coughed. America would pee its collective pants and the government would step in with more things to show the public they were taking care of everything... until the next round of collective pant peeing.

You don't have to have a Ph.D. in psychology to know that when someone is scared, they look for someone to protect them. Government rightly stepped in to allay fears, but did it in absolutely the wrong fashion. Instead of telling people to buy plastic sheeting and duct tape, they should have told people that the best disinfectant against terrorism is to return to their normal lives in spite of Al Qaeda.

The only thing the people really wanted, I think, was reassurance.

What they got was something much, much different.

Just a clarification here - Tylenol is still considered SAFE - when used as directed, and is still available over the counter. It is just that it has been recognized you can't abuse it with the impunity that they once thought.

Back to your regularly scheduled rant.

Well, there was the "Go about your business" sound bit from our last president. That attempt at sanity got trampled by the herd, I suspect. Part of the problem was that the various intelligence agencies didn't play well together, and wouldn't share. Putting most of them in one little authoritarian box was an attempt to compel more cooperation from them.

I think we can deduce from recent events that they are still not sharing.

Terrorism may not be 100% preventable but it has been 100% successful. Just look at all the Johnny Pee Pants in the US and the security circus at the airports.

When did everyone stop running around like a headless chicken?

Yes, terrorism will continue to be a problem. Some day, it could get to be so bad that it is as dangerous as getting salmonella from a cutting board, getting struck by lightning, or even become as much of a threat to you as you are to yourself, as perhaps terrorism rates will someday become as high as suicide rates.

But of course it will never, ever be as dangerous as skiing, driving, smoking, eating at McDonalds, operating a power tool, or having sex.