Saturday, May 07, 2011

What is the true threat of terrorism?

Here's something I just found and I think it is very well put:

Despite fearful rhetoric to the contrary, terrorism is not a transcendent threat. A terrorist attack cannot possibly destroy a country’s way of life; it’s only our reaction to that attack that can do that kind of damage. The more we undermine our own laws, the more we convert our buildings into fortresses, the more we reduce the freedoms and liberties at the foundation of our societies, the more we’re doing the terrorists’ job for them.

--Bruce Schneier

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2 comments:

  1. Amen. The first thing I thought when the "Patriot Act" passed congress was that the terrorists won.

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  2. I had the same thought, BooCat. In fact I actually read the thing (well, most of it - which is more than we can say for most of the members of congress who voted for it). I remember being quite obsessed with it, actually, and, even though it was very long and complicated, I kept reading and reading and reading. I also kept getting more and more horrified.

    And, it's still on the books.

    Here's a brief piece about that:

    Osama Bin Laden Is Dead, But Will the Patriot Act Live On?

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