A reality based independent journal of observation & analysis, serving the Flathead Valley & Montana since 2006. © James Conner.
President Obama will deliver an address on terrorism this evening, speaking from the Oval Office at 1800 (the football game starts 30 minutes later) “…about the steps our government is taking to fulfill his highest priority: Keeping the American people safe.”
He cannot promise perfect safety, although many want him to do so. Many Americans are living in fear, yet they are not really in danger. The risk of dying from a terrorist attack is vanishingly small — Americans are far more likely to be killed by an automobile accident or a medical mistake. Somehow, the President must find a convincing way to put terrorism in perspective and tamp down the hysteria without exhorting Americans not to panic.
He also must remind Americans that the object of terrorism is creating such a sense of dread that we willingly, indeed eagerly, surrender our freedoms for the illusion of perfect safety. He must convince us that although we will always live in a certain amount of danger, usually very small, we should not live in fear; for if we live in fear, the terrorists win.