I read an article this morning by the respected security expert Bruce Schneier. Our "War on Terror" has descended into a series of incidents where people report anything that is out of the ordinary. There was a time when things that were unusual could be a pleasant surprise, or amusing, or fun. Now in many people's minds, a behavior they haven't seen before is a sure sign of terror. Read the article, follow the links - it's a great lesson in how many resources we have wasted over-reacting to normal incidents, which leaves precious little for actual intelligence and protection.
This is an outgrowth of the shameless manipulation of the American people by the Bush administration. It has been politically advantageous to keep everyone in a constant state of fear - after all, it's the current administration that has done such a wonderful job of protecting us - you're still alive, right? Bush and Cheney are the only thing that has protected you from the boogeymen. How can that argument keep on working, anyway?
Well, because if we keep having these "terrorist incidents" reported, and keep having heroic efforts to protect us from flour, and pepper sauce, and the other agents of mass destruction in our environment, it's clear that there is danger everywhere, and we need to keep re-electing strong (or crazy) leaders to save us.
It's time for us to all take a deep breath, relax, and realize that we need to have a much more realistic assessment of the danger involved.