What's wrong with this picture?

The terrorists involved with the 9/11 attacks were geniuses as they outsmarted the CIA, Mossad, and MI6. They were able to avert airport security and managed to avert the best air defense system in the world – NORAD.  So what is wrong with the above picture?

To avoid similar attacks in the future, our wonderful government created the TSA, whose security policies creates long lines in airports as depicted above. Why would a would-be terrorist even bother to smuggle a weapon on board a plane, when all they have to do is detonate an explosive device right in the middle of this crowd?  There’s nothing that could stop a determined person from doing so. This argument/scenario alone proves that the TSA is useless and just gives people a false sense of security.

People should realize the the government cannot guarantee your safety. Even a private bodyguard could not fully guarantee your safety.  There is an inherit risk to living life. When you step outside to begin your day, anything could happen to you that could cause harm or death – a car accident or random act of violence, for example.

Let’s look at some numbers. Hopefully they favor the need for all this hysteria, government spending, the TSA, Big Brother surveillance, and the War on Terror.

Between 1968 – 2006 (in a span of 40 years) there has been a total of 3,227 deaths to U.S. citizens, due to terrorism, throughout the entire world (http://www.nationmaster.com/country/us-united-states/ter-terrorism).  That comes out to 80 deaths per year.  Let’s see how that compares to other causes of deaths within the US alone:

From http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/deaths.htm:

1. Heart disease: 599,413 per year
2. Cancer: 567,628 per year
3. Chronic lower respiratory diseases: 137,353 per year
4. Stroke (cerebrovascular diseases): 128,842 per year
5. Accidents (unintentional injuries): 118,021 per year
6. Alzheimer’s disease: 79,003 per year
7. Diabetes: 68,705 per year
8. Influenza and Pneumonia: 53,692 per year
9. Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome, and nephrosis: 48,935 per year
10. Intentional self-harm (suicide): 36,909 per year

And to really put things into perspective:

1. There are 115 deaths per DAY by car accidents [http://www.car-accidents.com/pages/stats.html]
2. Falls: 24,792 deaths per year [http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/dvs/deaths_2009_release.pdf]
3. Complications from medical and surgical care: 2,616 deaths per year
4. Alcohol: 24,518 deaths per year
5. Poisoning: 41,592 deaths per year
6. FDA Approved Drugs: 82,724 deaths per year [http://drugwarfacts.org/cms/?q=node/30]
7. Food Allergy: 150 to 200 deaths per year [http://www.quora.com/How-many-people-die-each-year-from-peanut-allergies]
8. Lightning: 90 deaths per year [NOAA Technical Memorandum NWS SR-193]
9. Bee Sting: 50 deaths per year [http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/insect-stings]
10. Shoveling Snow: 100 deaths per year [http://obit-mag.com/articles/shoveling-deaths-by-the-numbers]
11. I’m even seeing claims that there are 150 deaths per year by falling coconuts.

Well, I’ve seen enough. Let’s stop the foolishness and hysteria. This is ridiculous. Why are we spending so much time and effort on fighting such a miniscule threat? Is it worth the money? Is it worth all the pain and suffering? Is it worth losing your freedoms?

Random acts of violence will always happen and nothing is going to ever completely stop it. Let’s face it – humans can be crazy, unstable, and unpredictable. If someone has the hell-bent intention of causing mass violence, unfortunately for those in the wrong place at the wrong time, it is possible. Living life is wonderful but has its risks, which is one of the reasons why life is so precious. So let’s not live one more minute of our lives worrying about terrorism.