Attached to headline. ;)

“There is always a point at which the terrorist ceases to manipulate the media gestalt. A point at which the violence may well escalate, but beyond which the terrorist has become symptomatic of the media gestalt itself. Terrorism as we ordinarily understand it is innately media-related.”
- William Gibson, Neuromancer

First, when a City shall be as it were besieged and blocked about, her navigable river infested, inroads and incursions round, defiance and battle oft rumoured to be marching up evening to her walls, and suburb trenches, that then the people, or the greater part, more then at other times, wholly taken up with the study of highest and most important matters to be reformed, should be disputing, reasoning, reading, inventing, discoursing, even to a rarity, and admiration, things not before discoursed or written of, argues first a singular good will, contentedness and confidence in your prudent foresight, and safe government, Lords and Commons; and from thence derives it self to a gallant bravery and well grounded contempt of their enemies, as if there were no small number of as great spirits among us. [...] Next it is a lively and cheerful presage of our happy success and victory. For as in a body, when the blood is fresh, the spirits pure and vigorous, not only to vital, but to rational faculties, and those in the acutest, and the pertest operations of wit and subtlety, it argues in what good plight and constitution the body is, so when the cheerfulness of the people is so sprightly up, as that it has not only wherewith to guard well its own freedom and safety, but to spare, and to bestow upon the solidest and sublimest points of controversy, and new invention, it betokens us not degenerated, nor drooping to a fatal decay, but casting off the old and wrinkled skin of corruption to outlive these pangs and wax young again, entring the glorious ways of Truth and prosperous virtue destined to become great and honourable in these latter ages.

[...]

And though all the winds of doctrine were let loose to play on the earth, so Truth be in the field, we do injuriously by licensing and prohibiting misdoubt her strength. Let her and Falsehood grapple; who ever knew Truth put to the worse in a free and open encounter?

- John Milton, Areopagitica

"I just done a whoopsie!"

-Frank Spencer, Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em

Maybe we should examine the word "terrorist." It's different than warrior, soldier, assassin, or even mercenery. Terrorists do not focus on physical damage, and therefore do NOT wish to kill as many Americans as possible. Terrorists deal in terror. They use the most efficient means possible to keep their enemies in a state of terror so that they(we) will eventually collapse as a society. Every time someone says we should sacrifice our liberties in order to battle terrorism, they are doing exactly what terrorists want. Why do you think there hasn't been an attack on America since 9/11? Because there doesn't need to be. Many Americans are still clearly in the grips of hysteria and willing to subjugate themselves to the kind of totalitarian rule Jihadists advocate in order to save themselves. As long as we let fear control us, they win.