Shakey, I am fully aware of the danger that al Qaeda—and other terrorist groups—present to the rest of the world, and, for that matter, to me personally. I don't need to sign some petition to take that into my soul. I do find, however, that when I sign petitions, I often wind up on someone's list to receive spam, junk snail-mail, and solicitations for contributions to "aid the cause," all of dubious nature.   

The best things that I can do as a private citizen is to keep my eyes open when I amn around and about, and keep my cell phone charged and the numbers of the relevant authorities handy in case I see something that I think looks suspicious.

I still see signing some petition as an empty gesture, and I still wonder why you're so adamant that we should all do this.

The Phantom

"He who focusses on swatting flies fails to see the leopard creeping up from behind." Old jungle saying.