FEAR FACTOR: Does it justify homicide? Transcend the Constitution?

Terror has killed how many Americans in the last 50 years? Who was the last American to die from avian flu? How many Americans have perished in "dirty bomb" blasts -- you know, the danger so horrible that the Constitution had to be revoked to fight against it?

When was the last time an American died because someone had a panic attack in an airport? When was the last time people died because a guy kept running in panic when an Air Marshal told him to stop? Further, when was the last time that anybody in the US even died from an airport bomb? When was the last time an American citizen managed to successfully smuggle an actual working bomb onto a domestic flight?

On the other hand, we've invaded and occupied TWO countries -- at the cost of over 2000 Americans dead and tens of thousands injured -- under the guise of fighting the THREAT of terrorism. We've developed plans for martial law, forced vaccinations and the suspension of corporate medical liability -- under the guise of fighting the THREAT of avian flu. We've put tens of thousands of American citizens on a mysterious, highly invasive and unquestionable "no fly" list -- under the guise of protecting us from hijackers.

And now we have at least one example of a sick and completely innocent guy being shot to death in front of his wife because of the off-chance that he was actually some sort of bogeyman. Is this a "Twilight Zone" episode? Are we really supposed to praise our government for "saving us" from the "very real" potential of a slew of carefully cultivated paranoid fantasies -- the total damage of which is (at least, so far) comparable to getting struck by lightning?

Which threats are real and which have simply become the equivalent of mythic societal archetypes because of the way they constantly saturate corporate media? How many Americans are you willing to kill to stop the POTENTIAL threat of avian flu? How many of your townsfolk are you willing to shoot for not slowing down enough at checkpoints when martial law comes to save your neighborhood, like it came to save New Orleans from all of those vicious Negro baby-rapers? How many American soldiers and random innocent Arabs are you willing to see maimed and murdered to fight an endless and inherently unwinnable war on a noun?

Once again, students of history, what is the actual thing we have to fear?

Please?

airplanes have absolutely nothing to do with terrorism.

a US domestic flight? Other than disgruntled ex-employees or harmless nutcases causing a little ruckus, we've got to go back to the early 1970s, right?

(just wanted to give you your 'amen'!)

The reason 9-11 was carried out the way it was is that our bomb-detection operation is so advanced. Instead, the hijackers had to do what terrorists do and devise a way to cause havoc that nobody was expecting. So, yeah, I think people are justified in assuming it's b.s. when a passenger announces he has a bomb.

to those people that dismiss the life of the man at the airport for the safety as the whole. i have been thinking about this last night after listening to people justifying shooting this man for their safety. i really cannot see it any differently than the right saying we are fighting them over their to protect us here. both instances are cowardly. willing to allow loss of life of an innocent person for the preceived protection of our life. willing to dismiss this life at the possibly of loss of our own lives. i really see no difference between the two positions.

then t go further, afterwards when the marshals were holding gun to the civilians (wtf, passengers) heads the poster said they are suppose to go back into the cabin and be assholes. allowing the holding guns to head, in case their is another preceived bad guy.

how willingly we allow ourselves to be pushed into that fascist police state because of our own fears of possible death even when as you say, when was the last time a plane went down by an american. when was the last time a 41 year old woman with her two children on a plane took it down. yet, we will say we need that intimidation, just in case.

it personally is a horror story to me that we the people allow this. that we can allow this death without question, even support this death, yet not see the rights position of doing exactly the same in iraq

make ourselves fell better about POTENTIAL threats to our safety.

perceived threat is the only active ingredient
(nom)

What you have to fear in life: The US government, and the continued inability of US citizens to rise up against the US government. Take control of your own fate. And have a nice day. :)

BTW, this sure seems a lot like the guy shot in the British subway station after 7/7 when the dude was really a total random.

assuage our fear of trumped-up threats that could potentially have the power to do the same.

It seems as if we are living in Orwellian times with an invisible enemy that justifies the actions of our government. Fear is a means of control and it's working in this country. Fear can only work if the corporate owned media promotes this "art of illusion" that has swept the nation. The corporations continue to profit when panic occurs and people stock up on plastic sheeting, duct tape and whatever else is promoted for safety by commercials ads. "The Twilight Zone" is an accurate analogy.

I was taught to question authority but that doesn't seem to be the norm anymore. This administration has been the most instrumental in using fear as a means of control. Fundamentalism is another means that frowns upon critical thinking and their power has increased dramatically in the past few years.

Martial law in the gulf could have been a practice run - I'm not sure yet. The scariest part of everything you mentioned is that people are willing to submit without asking questions so it slowly will become the norm. The situation on the plane could have been prevented, pure and simple.

My fear is not of an illusion created by the elite but the stripping of our civil rights, educational system and critical thinkers.