The Wake Up Bomb

Darksyde has an excellent post up today over at King Kos place.


He makes an excellent point. The Republicans are driving the terror script to previously unknown levels. But in reality, by any analysis you want to make, you as an individual are far more likely to die prematurely from cancer.

So who is giving the terrorists what they want by responding in, um, terror?

You and your families are presented with much more danger every time you get into your car. 40,000 per year; over the past five years since the attacks of 9/11, that's 200,000 deaths. So you face a risk something on the order of 65 times as likely when you drive to work.

So if we are to believe Republicans, the best way to fight teh War on Terror is to, ummm, be as terrified as possible?

And this crude comparison doesn't even get into comparative dangers of terrorist attacks. Are terrorists more likely to strike at iconic buildings and places, like Government buildings, centers of commerce, Tourist attractions? Just where are these located? Predominantly in urban areas. It's a simple calculation; if the terrorists want to create the biggest stir, kill as many possible, are they going to strike at the Sears Tower, or a grain silo in Oklahoma? So the great majority of people who are most worked up about potential terror attacks, and most encouraging of a totalitarian stat if it will just keep them safe from the bad brown people, are living in the wide open Red states, which are much less likely to be a target of an actual attack. These residents are much more likely to die in a farming or industrial accident than a terror attack. Heck, they're much more likely to die by a cow falling on them.

So why is the Elephant so damn yellow?


Darksyde points out the magnitude of a single Soviet nuclear weapon in comparison to New York. (Yes I realize that the 'suitcase nuke' is a danger. Listen: the yield of a portable nuke compared to a nuclear missile is comparable to a mosquito landing on your foot versus a horse. Even the so-called 'suitcase nukes' are not your everyday idea of a suitcase; they weigh upwards of 150 pounds, and in the size range of a good-sized shop vac. Not exactly stow away luggage; and not something you whip up in the garage either.

So what exactly is the problem of the Republicans and the Republican-led media, and why is it they are leaning on the terror button so hard?

[Church Lady] Could it be......SAAAAAA-TAAAN? [/Church Lady]

Well, probably not. In the case of the media, in addition to mindlessly heeding the rightwing dog-whistle, it probably moves the newsprint.

And with the Republicans, scaring the everloving shit out of America is the only platform plank they have left. And it's diminished, because most people have frickin lives to lead.

So when the choice comes right down to it, do you look for the people who have been pushing for a information-led, law-enforcement /prevention approach to fighting terrorism (which is what actually WORKED in Britain) or do you go with the fear-mongering idiots who refuse to fund basic prevention methods in ports and urban areas in favor of symbolic, largely useful actions that are executed with the flawless attention to detail of your typical crack addict; and whose motto seems to be “When in trouble, or in doubt, run in circles, scream and shout”. And you got to ask yourself: Ya feel lucky, punk? Well, do ya?