…it is worth remembering that the total number of people killed since 9/11 by al Qaeda or al QaedaÂlike operatives outside of Afghanistan and Iraq is not much higher than the number who drown in bathtubs in the United States in a single year, and that the lifetime chance of an American being killed by international terrorism is about one in 80,000 — about the same chance of being killed by a comet or a meteor.
–John Mueller
Considering how much time and energy and money we put into supposedly keeping ourselves safe from terrorist attacks, methinks we aren’t putting enough into protecting ourselves from comets and meteors … statistically speaking, that is. I demand to be protected from comets and meteors! And bathtubs too!
The article I pulled that quote from is really worth reading, and I wish everyone would read it, most especially those people who are constantly wringing their hands and worrying about there being another terrorist attack at any moment. Take the time to get through the three pages of text, and then mull it over and compare what it says to what you hear on the TV news every day from our government. If nothing else, this article will give you an excellent insight into why I spend no time or energy worrying about terrorism disrupting my life. There are better things to worry about … like getting hit by a comet or meteor, or falling in the tub and cracking my head.
I have said for a long time that drink drivers are a bigger threat. Thanks for the confirmation.
With odds like that, there are a multitude of things that are a more direct and immediate threat to anyone’s continued existence. Yet I have friends and family who expend far too much energy worrying about terrorism and planning their lives around it … like “No, maybe we shouldn’t go to Washington, DC for vacation. What if there’s an attack while we are there!” Yes, and you could have a heart attack tomorrow, or get hit by a bus, or get mugged walking across the Walmart parking lot. Or, you know, you could be sitting in your living room and get hit by a comet. :)