Trillions $$$
"The likelihood that any individual American will be killed in a terrorist event is microscopic."
—Political scientist John Mueller
> in my eyes | not waving but drowning
Terror is an emotion made of air that’s individually experienced by each person worldwide and guided by our perceptions.
- So how could the United States ever win a trillion-dollar war against terror? 💰
Meaningful threats to the United States from Islamist terrorists are rare.
The universe of people angry enough to want to carry out an attack is small. The universe of people who might actually do it is even smaller.
- More people die in bathtub drownings than attacks by Islamist terrorists.
When they do happen, to be sure, terrorist attacks are highly effective at provoking overreactions and an atmosphere of sickening uncertainty.
We spent trillions of dollars after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorism hijackings trying to prove we could obliterate any new threats worldwide no matter how shaky the intelligence.
For years as a journalist, I wrote news story after news story about bloated security initiatives that created the perception and appearance of safety and security.
We couldn't effectively measure how many would-be attacks were successfully unraveled by such measures.
We couldn't fully know what we were getting from billions of dollars being showered on state and local agencies for a bonanza of yet more security spending.
Typical state and local purchases included costly new tank-like trucks and chromed-out, blinking command vehicles. There were multimillion dollar so-called fusion centers in every state where people from multiple agencies ostensibly analyzed tips for terrorism leads.
Much of this spending was only negligibly tied to terrorism and security. Years later, no one in the mainstream talks about fusion centers.
- How are they keeping us safe now?
America vowed to "never forget" the 9/11 hijackings and the Global War on Air.
We spent and spent and spent fighting ghostly illusions.
Then we forgot.
- next time "Christians claim control of 'faith.'"
- listening Busta Rhymes "Gimme Some More"
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