with the recent goings on in the UK, it occurs to me that the rational object of terrorism is to promote terror*.

so, do you feel terrorized? are you scared for yourself or anyone in your family? are you going to change travel plans based on fear (as opposed to changing travel plans based on the new inconveniences)?

do you know anyone that feels terrorized?

do you feel like the possibility of your plane (or train or subway or bus) being blown up by a terrorist is just another risk associated with life, sort of like the other everyday risks of getting behind a wheel or crossing the street?

i'll start: after 9/11, for about a month every time i heard a plane overhead, i watched it until it was out of sight. i did not feel particularly scared that it would crash or blow up, it was more that it became part of my circle of observation. i was wary, but not scared.

mods, feel free to merge this thread if appropriate...



(* http://www.generationterrorists.com/cgi ... i?ep=Movie)

no.

Honestly, no. I'm sure if I lived in the Middle East I'd be a little more concerned, but I've never felt uncomfortable anywhere in the states as far as terrorism is concerned.

Not at all.

News and Debate is always scary. Especially some of hte Jesus freaks.

I am wary, but I am consciously defiant of my concerns. It's like worrying about whether your loved ones will get into a car accident or otherwise get hurt when you are not around to be able to prevent it or help. While you care, there's just no rational point in dwelling on that which you cannot influence, so you have to put it aside in your mind if you want to be able to live your life not in fear of the unknown or unlikely.

by radical right-wing america?

yes.

in real life no..... on the board... YES

No.

No, because the government is doing it's job to protect us against the threat of IslamoFascism.

I was going to start a thread called "what is the ultimate goal of terrorism?" but I can probably make my point just as well in this thread.

I think that the ultimate goal of terrorism is disruption. If you can disrupt a democracy, an economy, or even someone's frame of mind, than you've suceeded with an act of terror. I think in many ways, 9/11 was a rousing sucess for terrorists everywhere, because many people and insitutions in America have been disrupted. I think the antagonism during the 2004 election can be traced back in many ways to 9/11, because the country became divided--divided into those who see terrorism as the #1 issue facing America, and those who do not.

I think we are still suffering from this divide, politically and culturally. Politically, the Republicans argue that it is indeed the #1 issue, and they are sucessful with those who feel the same way. The Democrats do not feel it is the #1 issue, and have a similar voter base. Each group thinks the other is making a terrible mistake, something that became quite clear in the 2004 election.

There is a similar cultural divide. There are those who feel we must change by responding with clear-cut action, whether with armed forces, homeland security, or other devices, and there are those who feel the best response is making sure that we as a nation do not change, that we retain every ounce of the liberties and optimism that make America what it is. Once again, each side feels the others's thought process is terribly misguided.

To really heal, we must end this disruption, and we must begin to come together again. Hope is infinitely more powerful than fear, and I think it's time we realize this. Hopefully that made even a little bit of sense.

Yes and no. I am not afraid for myself or my family being directly hurt or killed by terrorists, but yes in that, I believe, there will be another terrorist attack on a grand scale within 5 years.

I believe our gov't has not succeeded in stopping anything and these foiled attacks, which I am thankful they were stopped of course, are just smaller potatoes compared to the threat that is still out there.

not really.

maybe because im living in a country thats supposedly harboring terrorist schools. must be easy enough to blend in.

They scare me.

Power grabbing arms of executive government scare me more.

I used to believe that, but I think it's not just disruption but fear (on a large dramatic level) that terrorists aim for. If it was purely disruption of our economy, they could easily, and I mean really easily, attack our agriculture which would have a gigantic impact on our economy.

haha. people on fox love this. edie of fox and friends morning show called for racial profiling in the U.S. and said we need to start calling these people by what they are -- and i don't even need to go there -- if we're going to be successful in defeating them.

Republicans--the party of spin and catch phrases!