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It strikes me that most of the complaints on this issue (ignoring the partisan frothing) center on self-reassurance - a faith that we can stop all terrorists wi

It strikes me that most of the complaints on this issue (ignoring the partisan frothing) center on self-reassurance - a faith that we can stop all terrorists with reasonable security measures, it's just that someone was slack on the job in this case. Blame hard enough, and we'll be safe.

jacquesm 17y ago
You're very right. I think that stems from the 'we're on the right side' feeling that people have somehow. The truth is a determined enough organization with some money to burn will always, now and forever have the ability to disrupt society to some extent and murder a bunch of people in the process. To admit that though means that you're going to be lumped in with the fatalists instead of with the realists. Any fool can break a window, it takes lots of effort and knowledge to make a clear, flat piece of glass. In other words, destruction is so much easier than creation that we should be happy the terrorists are as incompetent as they are. They'd like to destroy the western world (so we're told) and they've managed to kill < 10,000 people in many years of trying. They would be more effective if they started cutting brake lines on vehicles at random.
- Semiapies 17y ago
  "I think that stems from the 'we're on the right side' feeling" What does that have to do with this?
  - jacquesm 17y ago
    It's linked to 'faith' and it's cousin 'fate', the idea that something strong flows from being on the 'right' side of a conflict and that that in turn can somehow be used to affect the outcome. Of course all sides think they're on the 'right' side, and besides that there is no deity that will intervene with reality to make a difference. But that does not seem to stop people from thinking that something will work against the 'bad guys' so that we can 'win' this thing. As long as the world is structured the way it is there will be an endless supply of 'bad guys', and some of them will be successful no matter how much we destroy our own society in order to try to thwart their plans. Being on the right side literally does not enter in to the equation, except in the heads of those that believe strongly in good and bad, and most likely in heaven and hell. Which is a good part of the cause of all this trouble anyway.
Perceval 17y ago
David Foster Wallace has a sort of fatalistic view toward the balance between freedom and safety, arguing that we ought to have just accepted that people will die if we are to live in a free society: http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200711/wallace-safety http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200711/wallace-safety This kind of mentality has a lot more in common with the values of the founding fathers than the idea that perfect security is possible or achievable.
- jacquesm 17y ago
  I honestly feel better living in a society that takes its chances with 'the terrorists' and relies on citizens standing up for themselves when required as opposed to having a police state. Freedom has always come at a price, I don't see why this should be any different. Not long ago in nl a kid was stabbed in a day-care center by some lunatic. You can then put an armed guard in front of every day-care center to ensure it will never happen again but there are a million other 'soft targets' ready to be taken. So lock the idiot up and throw away the key but keep on living in a normal way.

jacquesm 17y ago

You're very right. I think that stems from the 'we're on the right side' feeling that people have somehow. The truth is a determined enough organization with some money to burn will always, now and forever have the ability to disrupt society to some extent and murder a bunch of people in the process. To admit that though means that you're going to be lumped in with the fatalists instead of with the realists. Any fool can break a window, it takes lots of effort and knowledge to make a clear, flat piece of glass. In other words, destruction is so much easier than creation that we should be happy the terrorists are as incompetent as they are. They'd like to destroy the western world (so we're told) and they've managed to kill < 10,000 people in many years of trying. They would be more effective if they started cutting brake lines on vehicles at random.

Semiapies 17y ago
"I think that stems from the 'we're on the right side' feeling" What does that have to do with this?
- jacquesm 17y ago
  It's linked to 'faith' and it's cousin 'fate', the idea that something strong flows from being on the 'right' side of a conflict and that that in turn can somehow be used to affect the outcome. Of course all sides think they're on the 'right' side, and besides that there is no deity that will intervene with reality to make a difference. But that does not seem to stop people from thinking that something will work against the 'bad guys' so that we can 'win' this thing. As long as the world is structured the way it is there will be an endless supply of 'bad guys', and some of them will be successful no matter how much we destroy our own society in order to try to thwart their plans. Being on the right side literally does not enter in to the equation, except in the heads of those that believe strongly in good and bad, and most likely in heaven and hell. Which is a good part of the cause of all this trouble anyway.

Perceval 17y ago

David Foster Wallace has a sort of fatalistic view toward the balance between freedom and safety, arguing that we ought to have just accepted that people will die if we are to live in a free society: http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200711/wallace-safety http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200711/wallace-safety This kind of mentality has a lot more in common with the values of the founding fathers than the idea that perfect security is possible or achievable.

jacquesm 17y ago
I honestly feel better living in a society that takes its chances with 'the terrorists' and relies on citizens standing up for themselves when required as opposed to having a police state. Freedom has always come at a price, I don't see why this should be any different. Not long ago in nl a kid was stabbed in a day-care center by some lunatic. You can then put an armed guard in front of every day-care center to ensure it will never happen again but there are a million other 'soft targets' ready to be taken. So lock the idiot up and throw away the key but keep on living in a normal way.