Book TV.... Blind Spot, Timothy Naftali.... link, synopsis.

I found this review to be the most acceptable one...

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0465092810/002-8127018-7379242?v=glance



Blind Spot: The Secret History of American Counterterrorism (Hardcover)
by Timothy Naftali "WHAT IS THE CAPITAL OF ILLINOIS, SIR?..."

well written and mildly interesting. however the author appears to think that we the people will be safer if we (the people) would simply give ourselves over to Big Brother. Frankly terrorism and terrorists come and go, but the constitution is with us always. Unlike the author, I'll keep the
constitution and bill of rights and take my chances with terrorists.

As an example of the authors flawed thinking, he mentions that after 1973, when new airport screening was introduced, 5000 guns were collected from passengers as if this were a good thing
(or that armed passengers were a bad thing) but what he fails to grasp that, although 5000 guns were collected there were NOT 5000 or even 500 or even 5 incidents involving firearms then or
in the previous years before screening. Nor does he seem to make the connection that the 9/11 hijackers managed to take over their aircraft with box cutters and planning and willingness to die.
Could armed passengers or pilots have made a difference? Would things have been any worse?

Lets look at the UK. Many surveillance cameras and draconian police powers. The result? Pretty pictures of men alleged to be bombers (yet the bombs still went off and a second attempt almost
succeeded) and one innocent man shot dead by police.

Terrorists are always going to be with us. In an industrial society technology acts as a force multiplier. One or two or a dozen men can kill thousands if they are determined. Auto accidents kill 50K/year. A Tsunami will kill tens of thousands. Civil war kills hundreds of thousands. And a pandemic may kill millions. And no one is even bothering to count dead and dying of starvation.

Terror is a problem, but it's more a problem of the mind and the author is stoking fears to sell books. Shame on him.