As an older person who has worked in many countries I think the post of DPWN is well balanced. As someone who has many Muslim friends I agree with his sentiments.
One of the problems is that so many Americans think that terrorism started on 9/11.
Please take a look at the Red Brigade, Red Army Faction, IRA and see some of the terrorist problem that the rest of the world has faced well before 9/11 that was nothing to do with Muslims.
Terrorists are terrorists and as DPWN says they are just criminals exactly the same as the guy that holds up a liquor store for money.
The US thinks that by throwing billions of dollars at the TSA they will contain the problem. Sadly a myth. The US government pays $9 for every air passenger and 5 cents for every transit
( Rail/metro) passenger, so guess where the next target will be.
Lets face it this was an easy target in London.
I watched the CNN woman in London just after the bombings ( Annapour?) saying "the questions that the British Governement will be asked is how could this have happend so soon after the July 7 bombings"
I dont know if she was born stupid or had lessons for her journalism career.
Does she know how many people use the tube in rush hour ?
Should we search everybody ?
Then we have the Civil Liberties Groups in New York going to court over the very idea that people on the transit should be searched to see if they are carring a bomb !!
I see threads on prune saying " don't tell the terrorists the hi jack transponder codes " Give me a break. This is the first mistake to treat these people as stupid !
The guy that is the suicide bomber is not the brains behind this !
On the 9/11 how many people with a few hours on light aircraft could fly an airliner with the precision that those guys did ?
Lets face it, smart as you are could you convince some guy to go and strap a bomb to himself and blow up a bank and let you walk in and take the money I dont think so.
Sadly I dont know what the answer is, I do know that security is a state of mind and not Government decrees.
All one can do is be aware of the dangers and stay vigilant. The rest of it as our Muslim friends say is "inshalllah"