Mary, I agree. While terrorists are a horror for those individuals head-hacked and dumped on the side of a road, or spectacularly murdered en masse in the Twin Towers, or crashed out of the sky over Lockerbie, they are trivial in the grand scheme of things. Really, really, trivial. One good dose of avian flu would make us forget all about suicide bombers. Cancer kills in a big way. Car crashes are much more evolutionarily significant.
More harm comes from the fanatical reaction by over-zealous authoritarian bullies on "our side" who love the terrorism [not that they would ever admit it, but watch their body-language as they frisk, frighten and boss around].
We are all hassled by unpleasant morons confiscating our nail clippers. They order, they don't politely and apologetically explain what they are obliged to do to ensure security. Those in authority see us as their playthings, not their bosses. That's how they want to see us.
There was never going to be another hijacking once passengers and crew realized that hijackers must not be allowed to gain control of an aircraft. The old, benign, "Take me to Havana" and an interesting trip out of the ordinary, which was much more fun than the originally planned trip, led people to think of hijackings as minor and compliance with the hijackers as a good idea. Not now.
Now, as soon as somebody looks dodgy, there will be general uprising and the hijackers will be overwhelmed by a sea of pillows, blankets, belts, fists, duty free bottles, bags and body mass. Then the pilots would be swinging the cockpit axe or whatever other tools of protection they are now carrying.
It would be interesting to see what valuable intelligence they got from the torture processes that have been carried out. It would be interesting to see how many extra Islamic Jihad recruits said torturing encouraged. I can't blame those tortured, or their relatives, for seeking revenge. That's what people do. That's what Americans are doing to those they see as aligned with those who murdered en masse in the Twin Towers and elsewhere.
Until the philosophical foundations of human life are based on individuals voluntarily free-trading created wealth rather than on found-wealth tribal territoriality and alpha male dominance hierarchies there will be conflict and revenge. We are so far from that ideal that we are all still state serfs. If we leave our country to take up with another, we can't sell our share-holding of our old country.
The answer is citizenship as a tradable property right.
There's too much tribalism and not enough property rights.
Mqurice |
