Who is afraid of a terrorist strike in the States? Elsewhere?

I have some statistics here. In 2001, your chances of dying from a terrorist attack was 100,000 to 1. Your chances of committing suicide were 1 in 9,200 (you're more of a danger to yourself). Your chances of being killed by a non-terrorist act of murder was 1 in 14,000 and your chances of being killed in a car accident was 1 in 6,500.

Now, I have seen (as I'm sure we all have) SO many arguments, good and bad, relating to terrorism, the war on terror, and the war in Iraq. How safe does everyone feel? Do you think that Homeland security provides more safety? What about the color-coding terror alert system? Do you think it's there to actually help us prepare for a terrorist attack, or is it just there to scare us and keep us in check?

What about the U.S. Patriot Act? Does it make you feel safer? Are you willing to give up freedom for safety? How much?

I live in L.A. I've never been afraid that I will be killed by a terrorist. I have too many other domestic would-be attackers to be worried about already without having to watch the sky or check out of the window every couple of minutes, searching for a nearby mushroom cloud. The attack on 9/11 was tragic indeed, but in the days, months, and now years following, I've been constantly told to be afraid of terrorists yet I have never seen one. I'm constantly told to be afraid, but I just don't see any reason to be. According to the numbers, I should be more afraid of myself than of a terrorist.

Those of you who aren't afraid: do you think that we're purposefully being manipulated? To what end? To support the war in Iraq?

Those of you who are: do you think that you're adequately prepared to survive a terrorist attack? If not, then what's the point of being told to be afraid? What is the point of the color coded alert system, in your opinion?
-S

Its not just the fear of death - its the fear of loosing your way of life.

I guess I fall under "elsewhere". Nothing to be scared of in Aust. Our Gov is "toeing the line", so to speak.

Here is an interesting and timely article:

US influence disturbs Australians

While they are overwhelmingly supportive of the ANZUS alliance between Australia, New Zealand and the United States, just 58 per cent have "positive feelings" towards the US and only one in five would support Australia acting on the alliance if it meant following the US to war with China over Taiwan.

US foreign policies were seen as a potential external threat by 57 per cent of those polled. The same percentage saw Islamic fundamentalism the same way.

[edit on 28-3-2005 by cargo]

Odds mean nothing about how I feel about the war on terror. That I am 5x more likely to fill myself, than a car bomb go off at teh local mall. Let's check those odds in 10-15 years.

I am not afraid and looking over my shoulder every minute of everyday, peeking out the window thinking my arab-looking neighbors will bomb the neighborhood. I am vigilant about my surroundings because I was raised to be aware of everything around you.

I do not support the war in Iraq, but I support my troops. I am not saying that what we are doing is wrong in Iraq with liberation and democratic election, but no one should ever 'support' war.

I feel that I have lost no rights in the passing of the Pat Act, and if you have nothing to hide, you should not be afraid. I love people who are anti-bush or anti-war, who are upset when they are infiltrated, or spied on. In my mind, if you are spreading anit-american rhetoric that goes beyond free speech to inciting riots and protest, our gov't should be aware. Ido not feel manipulated, and I didn't get anything extra in my tax refund.


I have nothing to fear but fear itself, and I will never let it control me or my way of thinking. I love my country, and feel fortunate that I have the ability to raise my child in a coutry free of terror.

Now if we could just take some military funding and do something about the gangs and child rapists, those are people i am afraid of.

Originally posted by ServoHahn
What about the U.S. Patriot Act? Does it make you feel safer? Are you willing to give up freedom for safety? How much?

No the Patriot Act does not make me feel "safer". As Mr. Ben Franklin said

"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."

Those of you who aren't afraid: do you think that we're purposefully being manipulated? To what end? To support the war in Iraq?

I don't think it's simply to gain support for the Iraq Invasion, but for the over-all war on terror.

Religious and ideological zealots have hi-jacked the US government.

These demogogues have made Muslims the target of US ignorance and hatred. Forget the fact that 9-11 was most assuredly an inside job. With 9-11 as a pretext, the Iraq war is its extension.

Far more people now hate the USA than ever before. And with good reason. Our illegal invasion/occupation of Iraq has created more terrorists than OBL ever could have. I place the blame for that squarely at the feet of the morally bankrupt and intellectually corrupt Neo Conservatives. The architects of this disasterous course. The mainstream media and right wing religious fanatics here are also to blame.

Am I afraid of a terrorist attack on US soil? No. But I am concerned that if we the people start putting 2+2 together on these crimes and start demanding accountability, the powers that be WILL see to it that some other patsie or cut-out WILL unleash another "terrorist" attack. Gotta keep the people scared to keep their eyes shut.

The idea of being afraid of some CIA patsie hiding in a cave, hooked to a dialysis machine on the other side of the world is laughable. I have far too much confidence in our clandestine services to buy that he's some threat to us. They know exactly what his status is and where he is, if in fact, he's even still alive.

I FEAR the loss of freedoms 9-11 ushered in. A quick glimpse beneath the surface reveals extensive curtailment of our civil liberties under the-ironically named Patriot Act.

Give me freedom or give me death!

Whats to be afraid of? You can't tell when or where something like this would happen so there is little point to worry about it. Its obvious the U.S. government uses terrorists, real or promulgated, to justify their current policies home and abroad so any further terrorist attacks will likely not be prevented and instead used to further current political goals. Which is basically what is happening in Iraq and Afghanistan at this point.

Originally posted by EastCoastKid

The idea of being afraid of some CIA patsie hiding in a cave, hooked to a dialysis machine on the other side of the world is laughable. I have far too much confidence in our clandestine services to buy that he's some threat to us. They know exactly what his status is and where he is, if in fact, he's even still alive.

Give me freedom or give me death!

You raise an interesting point. I was told that Osama was the mastermind behind the 9-11 attack... then we went to Afganistan to try to hunt him down and kill him. Like you said, he is most likely hiding in a cave on dialysis. Then every time they tell us "we think we got him" he puts out new information to prove that he's still alive.

All of the sudden 90% of our troops are in Iraq. We manage to find and capture Sadaam... What ever happened to Osama? (What ever happened to Enron, for that matter? There's always something to distract us from the matter at hand. If Clinton was involved with a scandal on Enron's scale, he'd have been crucified on the white house lawn). I'd be a LITTLE less suspicious if the Bush family wasn't so buddy-buddy with the Bin Laden family.

Vanguard
Its not just the fear of death - its the fear of loosing your way of life.

Are you referring to the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001? Seems that that's a start in changing our way of life. Listen, do you really believe that there is any terrorist organization strong enough to take down America? No, if our lifestyle changes, the changes will come from within.

esdad71
I feel that I have lost no rights in the passing of the Pat Act, and if you have nothing to hide, you should not be afraid. I love people who are anti-bush or anti-war, who are upset when they are infiltrated, or spied on. In my mind, if you are spreading anit-american rhetoric that goes beyond free speech to inciting riots and protest, our gov't should be aware...

If the governement has a reason to search my house, they should be able to get a warrant.

"The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."

I promise you that this amendment was made to protect people. It's on the Bill of Rights, for goodness sake. I don't think anyone's supposed to take a red marker to it when it becomes a nuisance.

The FBI can now know every detail of your life without provding a reason. Your phones could be tapped right now. Things can be planted. Things can be taken without your knowing, whether or not they are relevant. How do you feel knowing that, effectively all of your possessions are now government property? There was a term for this ideology, I don't remember what it was, but I remember in history class that the U.S. ran a lot of propaganda against it for a long time... and we had some sort of "Cold War"...?

How many and what kinds of freedoms would you be willing to give up for the sake of catching terrorists?

Cargo, on behalf of all America, I apologize. I have absolutely no idea how the rest of the world veiws America. Question, are people outside the states just upset with Bush and his cabinet, or do you guys dislike Americans as well? I wouldn't blame you for either.

Does anyone see a purpose in our color-alert system other than to make us afraid? I hear that the farther up the alert scale we go, the fewer freedoms we have, ending with martial law.

-S

The attack on 9/11 was tragic indeed, but in the days, months, and now years following, I've been constantly told to be afraid of terrorists yet I have never seen one. I'm constantly told to be afraid, but I just don't see any reason to be. According to the numbers, I should be more afraid of myself than of a terrorist.

Those of you who aren't afraid: do you think that we're purposefully being manipulated? To what end? To support the war in Iraq?

Exactly! I mean, of course not being on the government's payroll, I can only use my best judgement, but it sure seems likely that the real terrorists, at least the ones that we are supposed to be afraid of here in the states, are the ones trying to terrorize us, by keeping us, well (most of us) constantly afraid of these unseen, unheard "terrorists" that may at any time come out from under the bed while we're sleeping, like boogymen, or may nab us at the bus station, etc... Propaganda says that we had better barricade ourselves inside our homes with duct tape on the windows. Not I! Think of who benefited the most financially by the 9-11 attack.

I won't go into what I think about that, but if those ever present terrorists are here, occasionally "chattering", lurking in the shadows ready to get us, well, then why don't they? I'll tell you, if that were the case, 'whatever will be will be', but what would really terrify me if that were to happen, would be how our government would react to it, and how it would take away more and more of our freedoms. The way that true terrorists work, is by playing upon peoples fears. And that is what happens, every time the terror alert level goes up (does anyone know what those colors mean, anyway, other than to try to terrorize us?) I personally think that the terror alert goes up perhaps based on "chatter", but not on chatter of the terrorists, but the chatter of the people getting too close to the truth.

Just my 2 cents


[edit on 3/29/2005 by CyberKat]

Good post (I would have voted you up but I'm out of votes already)

You have well pointed out the contradictions in the system that most ppl don't notice. Most ppl take what their government controlled media tells them at face value. They don't realise that most of it is taken out of context and what they choose to tell us is very carefully controlled.
But if you can fill in the holes and re-arrange everything to their correct context you start to see a different picture to the one originally painted.
It's all about power and control.
The governments job is to keep us pacified whilst the ones who are really in control do their dirty business.
We are constantly kept in confusion over every little detail of our lives so we don't grasp the big picture. But anyway sry I'm getting off track.
The use of terrorism is to keep us in fear.
The most powerful Human emotion. Create a situation that regular people have no control over and threatens there survival. Then convince them that they need the government to protect them from that danger.
One of the things I noticed when I first moved to the US is how everything is safetied to death yet they throw drivers licences at 17 yr olds with barely a drive round the block.
You see the state is full of contradictions. The government convinces the population that they are acting in their best interest when in reality they have no care for the population at all. Other then a cheap labour pool. Some one has to clean the sewers.
Of course they are going to convince us the boogie man is a terrorist, or a communist, or a lefty, or a righty. Because we can't control that. The idea is to make the population feel helpless.
If they were to tell us that the car is our biggest danger it wouldn't work, cause we have some control over that. Or at least we think we do. We know the risk. We can stop driving.
It's all about control. Make the population fear something they have no control over. Then convince them without your help their freedoms are at risk. Convince them enough to the point they will willingly except a loss of their freedoms. In fact the majority will be convinced it is for their own good.
They will never see through the thin viel of illusion because they have already been programmed to automatically, blindy side with authority.
Not to question it. And it comes in many flavors, republican, demorat, right and left. But the song remains the same.
Convince the population that authority is always right, no matter if it makes sense, and you can get away with anything. That's what school is for. To teach kids to except and blindly follow authority.
And the majority, when it's kept too busy fussing with the details of it's life, miss the big picture.
And those that do see it are considered the cranks. And when the majority is confronted with the truth it gets uncomfortable and usually reacts in the same predictable ways.
We see it on ATS all the time....

[edit on 29/3/2005 by ANOK]

Well said CyberKat and Anok.

Fear in the media is a good control tool.

For those who think that it is a paranoid or far-fetched conspiracy theory, I pose the following question. Suppose the government WAS using the media as a way of controlling the population through fear... would you know the difference?

Esdad, hypothetically if you WERE being manipulated, would you know it?

-S

The Best way to show an example of what the goverment is doing is to watch the movie "The Village". Our goverment regardless to what you want to believe controls what we know, see and hear. Television, Radio and the internet are basically methods of control. What if, we were to find out what was really going on, how would we react, what would be the implications on our race. I feel religion was made to be the beginning of control until 1 man "Jesus" stood up to everyone and said this is not true, thier is more than we know and this was the start of it. He was slienced for blaspahmy or should I say speaking of something that should not be spoken of. With this, others started questioning what they were told and so on and so on which lead to the start of diffrent religions or thoughts I should say. As the earth became more populated goverments and czars where put into place to control certain regions here on earth to enable the proccess of keeping the masses from knowing truth.

Think of it this way. Conspiracy, Religion, Politics, Goverment etc are all man made thoughts and ideas, now ask yourself this, If you were to eliminate all thoughts which have been passed down to you through this control proccess what would you be left with????


Oh yeah and on the topic of being afraid of terrorist attacks here on our soil. Why be afraid? If anything be afraid of what they have been hiding us from for all these years. What could of been that bad to make an entire planet live in the same sense of a movie which portrayed a colony of humans hiding from the fear of the real world.

[edit on 29-3-2005 by Justmytype]

I was terrified of another attack for a couple of years after 911 but now I think I'm immune to all of these scare tactics.
I don't pay any attention to it anymore.
Besides, what can you do?
If they are going to get us again they will..so be it.
I really don't care anymore.

Not sure where the manipulated part came from in my post? Because I have a different view or opinion than you, you feel i am manipulated?

I can make up my mind without the media. I don't watch the news. It is all bull#. You have to go to multiple websites and read a few papaers to try to piece together the truth for yourself, and sometimes it is better than fiction.

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."

I am secure in my home, there can be no unreasonable seauch, but there can be mistakes, and they happen everyday in law enforcement, so what is the difference???Don't hang out with the wrong people and no one will bother you, right? that is common sense. Please, show me a case of unjust arrest with the Pat act against an American and change my mind, please.

I think there are things in motion in the world we cannot stop, and I live knowing

I am in a country that is safe, for now, and do not look for the cloud to rise above Macdill each day. I don't wake up and look at the terror alert, but when a Plane flys by low I think about it 9/11. I am just an American, I am not a sheep, and mabye it is time we all took our blinders off.

Originally posted by esdad71


I feel that I have lost no rights in the passing of the Pat Act, and if you have nothing to hide, you should not be afraid. I love people who are anti-bush or anti-war, who are upset when they are infiltrated, or spied on. In my mind, if you are spreading anit-american rhetoric that goes beyond free speech to inciting riots and protest, our gov't should be aware. Ido not feel manipulated, and I didn't get anything extra in my tax refund.

If you have nothing to hide, you should not be affraid! Wow are people really this ignorant? Have you ever been in the headlights of a prosecuter? They really do not care if you are guilty or innocent. They only care about advancing theyre precious careers, they will use every tool availible to them in order to prosecute you.

The real reson for the Patriot act is to set up the chess boerd for when our gavernment lets or makes sure a city destroying terror event happens and they will lock us all down with martial law. The tools are in place, they just want more time for the terror to fade, wait until we feel comfortible again so the "Shock and awe" will have the best effect.

Esdad, the point that I was trying to make was that, effectively, the fourth amendment has been put on hold. Meaning that you are NOT protected from unreasonable searches and seizures. It doesn't matter whether you're actually guilty of anything or not, the FBI can search your home and take things as soon as they feel it might be necissary in any sense of the word.

If you were walking down the street and you were to walk by a suspected terrorist or "enemy combatant" and the FBI were tailing him, they may misconstrue something you did as a sign or signal and then put you on some kind of terror watch list. They could go into your house without you knowing, go through your personal things, go on your computer, make copies of files (or just take the whole computer itself), tap your phones, and put you on a fly list all before you got home from work.

Under the Patriot Act, the FBI are REQUIRED to collect library records. One can go on a terror watch list by checking out a book on make-shift weapons, propaganda, or even on communism. And be creative. Feds, lawyers, police, take advantage and exploit laws all the time. I bet the Patriot Act could be exploited in a miscellany of ways.

This is how out of hand our fear of terrorism is.

-S

They would of attacked already.
Why is Osama asking Alzaqawi to attack, he's in friggen IRAQ battling his own wars. Alqaeda in the US are finished.
But Bush isnt....

Its his last term, no matter what he's outta the ' big plan ' soon...
id be more worried about what he's planning on doing than terrorists.

I was fearful after the attacks and to some extent I still look over my shoulder today. It's scary though, that so many are eagerly willing to give up freedoms just to feel more safe. How anybody feels that by having a national ID card is going to stop an organized attack at a large mall is beyond me. The reality is that there are still way to many soft targets in this country and many will never be able to be completely secured. It's our way of life, and I for one am not ready to give it up. I don't want to turn this country into a police state just so I can sleep a little better at night, do you? I think it's important that we all be prepared though. I see no problem with having a sort of "grab and go" bag prepared for the worst case scenario. Whats important is that we keep everything in perspective for we haven't been able to do that since the attacks. I mean, think about it, we elected our president mainly because of fear of more terrorism. For Gods sake, we had atheists and devout Christians voting for the same candidate, that in and of itself is frightening. We can not let our daily lives become so consumed by this fear that it effects everything we do and everywhere we go. We need to keep our eyes open on this and not lose sight of the big picture for once we do wake up it might be to late.

Originally posted by GlobalDisorder

Its his last term, no matter what he's outta the ' big plan ' soon...

I hope. I don't know... there are some frightening rumors I've heard around the trailer park regarding allowing presidents (Bush) to run for a third (fourth, fifth, sixth, pass the presidency on to his son... that he doesn't have). It would be the most audacious thing he's done as president, but not by much.
-S

Thanks for bringin that up...
It would certanily say something if he was elected for a third term..
Definately something/Someone behind the scenes pulling some strings.. BUT WHO is it ?
I thnk Rummy hassomething to do with it..
He's like the devil on your shoulder whispering in your ear what to do.. Accept you dont have to be there for him to talk...

He's been around in the gvt for quite some time now..

.........


Can you just imagine Bush's childeren one day running for president?....
I just had shivers up my spine..