I think the point JoseFresco is making, which is a little lost in his reply, is that an event like 9/11 in which 3000 people died had a much bigger impact upon

I think the point JoseFresco is making, which is a little lost in his reply, is that an event like 9/11 in which 3000 people died had a much bigger impact upon America and the world than the 3000 people who died in on year of a particular form of cancer. The prevention of terrorism is more than just the prevention of immediate deaths related to the incident itself. Protecting civil liberties are crucial, and I'm not in anyway agreeing with what the TSA is doing. As a side point, it's worth remembering that terrorism is a world issue and if you look more internationally some Western Countries don't even enjoy the level of civil liberties and freedoms that America does even now. In the UK you can't even refuse a Back-scatter scan and have a manual pat-down instead (which applies to US citizens returning home from a visit to London too, of course). http://consumerist.com/2010/11/in-uk-if-you-opt-out-of-body-scanners-you-dont-fly.html http://consumerist.com/2010/11/in-uk-if-you-opt-out-of-body-...