22 June 2009

Terrorism As Lupus

Minor, thwarted, threatened or conceivable terrorist acts can do more harm in the "auto-immune" reaction in our society that they spawn to prevent them from happening in the future, than the acts themselves.

1 comment:

Michael Malak said...

This notion is embodied in the phrase "we've let the terrorists win."

I was living in the DC area in 2001, and like many there, lived in the suburbs and worked downtown. The first 3-4 weeks after 9-11, some roads were closed, most notable VA-27, which encircles the Pentagon and also connects major Northern Virginia Interstates to bridges into DC. 30-45 minute commutes turned into 3-hour commutes (each way). While I was sitting on a commuter bus, one frustrated passenger stood up and yelled just that, "We've let the terrorists win!"