Thursday, February 08, 2007
10:35 PM
In the future we will be thought of as completely insane

Overblown: How Politicians and the Terrorism Industry Inflate National Security Threats and Why We Believe Them: "Mark Frauenfelder:
Dale Dougherty says:

The American Spectator is an unusual source for an article criticizing our country's approach to security but this is a review of new book which seems right on:

Overblown: How Politicians and the Terrorism Industry Inflate National Security Threats and Why We Believe Them

'Mueller presents a challenging view of the next great political debate -- that there is no serious domestic al Qaeda threat, that the United States has wildly overreacted in the War on Terror, and certain politicians and others have been utterly irresponsible and manipulative to suggest otherwise.'

Here's from the Amazon page [Booklist]:

'Among possible U.S. terrorist targets listed by the Department of Homeland Security are a petting zoo in Alabama and a roadside water park in Florida. By listing such unlikely targets, the administration has heightened fear and the cost of protecting citizens, according to Mueller, a political science professor and national security consultant. He examines how terrorism hypervigilance is threatening civil liberties, the economy, and lives.'

In the guise of protecting our freedom, the Bush Administration and its Homeland Security have established a country that is less free for all. I, for one, would be willing to roll back to airport security to pre-9/11 levels. I would abolish Homeland Security and get rid of the TSA, saving us billions of dollars a year. The real question is whether we'd prefer to continue spending billions on pointless security theatre or devote more of that kind of money toward education and science, which might actually make our country a better place to live, now and in the future.

Link

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(Via Boing Boing.)