"I am not afraid"- viewing the terrorist threat in the right perspective

I think many people would agree that while the events of 9/11 were tragic, the resulting government expansion and expansion of powers represent overkill, inefficiency, a grab for power, and worse still, a sharp detour from the American way.

The DownsizeDC blog advocates an interesting campaign in response: "I am not afraid," a campaign to tell American leaders to stop being afraid, and stop acting out of fear.

To make the point, the campaign compares US loses to terror (~3,000) to US losses in motor vehicle accidents (~800,000 in the last 20 years), with a plea for proportionate response by the government.

(I don't buy this specific argument, as the possibility of terror losses far greater in just one event far outweighs likely traffic deaths in the future, but I think the point of telling Congress to get some perspective is very worthy.)

As DownsizeDC says, a more realistic response "does not require large armies, invasions, illegal spying, torture, detention camps, Kangaroo courts, or multi-billion dollar Congressional appropriations. Neither does it require us to shred the Bill of Rights or the Geneva Conventions. All it requires is a little backbone. And a little common sense."

I completely agree! Take a look at the post at DownsizeDC to learn more, and to pass this message along to your political leaders.


Thanks to Cato for pointing this out.