Damien Miller's weblog

I just stumbled across this paper (via Charlie Stross' weblog): A False Sense of Insecurity by John Mueller. Here is a taste:

Even with the September 11 attacks included in the count, the number of Americans killed by international terrorism since the late 1960s (which is when the State Department began counting) is about the same as the number of Americans killed over the same period by lightning, accident-causing deer, or severe allergic reaction to peanuts.

(the "War on accident-causing deer" just doesn't have the same ring to it). This quote slightly misrepresents the paper as whimsical, it is not - it is a very sober assessment of terrorist threats and appropriate policy responses. Like other such comparisons, I expect this to to be completely ignored by our leaders. The Power of Nightmares it just too tempting for those who want to retain control.

posted at: 13:27 | path: /stupidity | permanent link