Behold the latest argument dredged up by the Left in their cacophony of shrill protests against the supposed paranoia whipped up by our fearful leaders:
Fact: Over the last five years, automobiles have killed more than sixty times as many Americans as terrorism has. Do we declare a war on cars or roads or drivers? Should we suspend Constitutional rights and invade Detroit?
Fact: averaged over five years, more Americans have drowned each year than have been killed by terrorists here at home. Should we declare a global war on water?
Fact: Nearly as many have died over the last five years from electrocution as have died from terrorism. Should we abandon electricity? Declare a war on it? Abandon our Constitutional freedoms, spy on our citizens and torture utility executives?
Of course not. And yes, there is a difference between accidents and intentional attacks. The point of these statistics is to give the threat of terrorism a sense of proportion. The above risks are threats that are arguably preventable given enough money and draconian laws, but which we’ve chosen to live with.
Just for perspective, cardio-vascular disease kills about 1 million a year, yet many of us smoke, live sedentary lifestyles, and swill down cholesterol laden foods. We willingly and calmly accept a risk that is thousands of times more likely than death from terrorists.
Bottom line: terrorism doesn’t threaten our existence. It threatens us with tragedy, but on a scale that is equal to or much less than many other tragedies we have no trouble accepting.
There is not much to say about this, except one repeatable mantra that should ring in our ears until the upcoming mid-term election: do we really want these putzes in power?
