Ruminations on the "underwear bomber" (Congress, statistics, 9/11)

[stillkit]

You're all familiar with the underwear bomber's attempt to blow a Delta plane out of the sky. At least, you should be as it's about the only thing the major networks are talking about.

NBC, CBS, ABC, FOX, CNN, HNN, MSNBC--They've devoted an enormous amount of time to every conceiveable subject which can be linked to this story. The major networks allocated nearly half their 30 minute news broadcasts to it just yesterday.

In response, the administration, and especially Sec. Napolitano, have come under severe criticism for this turkey even being on the plane to start with. Congress will begin investigations into the matter soon. The TSA quickly instituted new "security" rules which include individual pat downs and even restricting passengers to their seats during the last hour of a flight. More is demanded to make us "safe," and more will be forthcoming. The long lines at airport security stations have gotten longer and longer and will get longer yet.

What's surprising is just how many people fully support more strict and more intrusive inspections of both our baggage and our bodies by the government. The fear is palpable and the panicked cries to the government to "save" us has risen to a roar.

But, why? What are we so afraid of? Why are we willing to encourage government to take on new, broader powers over us?

Here's some interesting statistics:

Did you know that on any given day, there are roughly 28,000 commercial flights in the air above the United States? That works out to just under 10 million flights a year or, about 78 million since 9/11. During that 8 years, there have been FOUR...that's right, FOUR terrorist attacks directed at airplanes or airports in the US. All of them but one was thwarted before anyone got hurt.

That means when you get on an airplane, you have roughly a 1/19.7 million chance of being involved in a terrorist attack. The chances of your plane falling out of the sky from a mechanical failure or crew mistake is larger than that, yet we're not all in a panic over that. We're not willing to cede even more of our liberties to be "saved" from faulty aircraft or incompetent crews, so why are we so willing to consign our freedom to the dust-bin over a 1/19.7 million chance of being the victim of a terrorist attack?

You tell me. It just doesn't make any sense from here. Are we REALLY that afraid?