It is increasingly hard to imagine that we are dealing with the America of Gary Cooper and John Wayne. The basic image is now of a scared child cowering in the corner. President Obama goes on TV twice to say, "Great and proud nations don't hunker down and hide behind walls of suspicion and mistrust" -- immediately followed by "WE ARE AT WAR!!" (George W. returns!) -- with a new vast enemy made up of a bunch of Yemenis and a Nigerian who can barely set himself on fire! DON'T PANIC! LET ME PANIC FOR YOU!!! Vast new resources are to be deployed in all directions, every piece of information on earth is to be funnelled through the National Security Agency, and bodyscans will proliferate. You really have to wonder how this insanity will end. The point of terrorism is to terrify people. It sure is working on big, tough America. yours, Peter T.
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