I think my risk of being killed or injured by an act of terrorism is real, but so slight that I should spend my worrying energy on other things - car accidents, as noted above; heart attack or stroke from eating the wrong stuff and not exercising enough; cancer from spending time in bars where people smoke, et cetera ad infinitum.

I think my risk losing the liberty and privacy that I consider my due as an American is very real and very significant. And my children's risk of losing theirs is even more so.

If the terrorists can make us turn America into a police state in order to protect ourselves from them, they win. And since Cheney and Ascroft and whatsisname that acts as their front man would like to turn America into a police state anyway, the terrorists are on their side, in a way.

Or so it seems to me from here in the boondocks.

Peter.