Even when Terrorists Fail, They Succeed

I was reading a book called "Super Freakonomics" by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner last week. There is a passage in the chapter called "Why Suicide Bombers Should Buy Life Insurance" where the authors come out and admit that one of the unfortunate things about terrorism is that they win even when they lose.

So the other day, when some guy tried to blow up a plane- I was primed to be looking and thinking about what this guy's actions would cost the American People. What would the event mean for the rest of us?

You see, terrorists are able to put us into a position of irrational fear. Irrational fear is the sort of thing that makes people willing to give up rights in order to secure freedom.

Try to board a plane this holiday season and watch out- you'll be searched and frisked and scrutinized up and down all because some Nigerian man who claimed to be working on behalf of Al Qaeda FAILED to blow up the plane he was on. FAILED. Yes, we have to put up with a loss of freedom simply because he attempted the attack.

Don't get me wrong, I want to be safe and I'm willing to give up some of my rights in order to ensure that people aren't blowing each other up. But I'm wondering if a better way to stick it to these hoodlum terrorists would be to bask in the glory of Freedom rather than allow even their failed attempts to transform us into a Police State where everyone is safe but no one is free.