Even when they lose.

...the terrorists are having a major impact on our society. There have been enough successful attacks (9/11, London, and Madrid to name the most obvious) that each foiled attack still heightens the public fear level, causing a predictable government overreaction. Today's news will certainly cost us a little more freedom and a lot more treasure.

It became a standing joke in the months after 9/11 attacks that, if we did not continue some trivial activity, "Then the terrorists have won." Sadly, it's no joke.

Liquids on a Plane

I don't buy that "if we... then the terrorists have won" bit.

During WWII the American public had to make certain adjustments (rationing etc) inorder to help defeat Germany and Japan. Did the very act of making these changes in our daily lives mean "then the Nazis have won"? Of course not; and making changes in our lives now to help defeat terrorists doesn't mean they've won. It means we are fighting back.

Did the very act of making these changes in our daily lives mean "then the Nazis have won"?

No, but then, it wasn't the goal of the Nazis to get us to make those changes in our lives. It is one of the goals of the Jihadis. They hate our freedom and our way of life, and whenever we sacrifice it in response to their actions (particularly when it's a foolish and pointless sacrifice, as much of TSA has been since 911) it's a win for them.

terrorists are having a major impact on our society

Yup. They've caused a latent streak of chicken-hearted hysteria amongst our commentariat to surface.

Among people who, say, remember the Second World War -- when private air travel was impossible and private car travel severely restricted, when sugar and meat were rationed, and no new cars were sold at all -- I'd say a different definition of the word "major" applies.

Unfortunately Joyner's Chicken-Littleism obscures what could be an interesting question: just how much overbearing annoyance do we want to put up with at the airport? And what might be reasonable alternatives?

For example, at what point might we say, screw this, let's just give the air crew .45's, and let any solid citizens who wants to bring their hardware along do so, too? I suppose there might be a plane or two that went down after a pitched battle -- too many holes in the fuselage -- but, hey, you've got to pick your risks. Would you rather go down like a lamb, holding candles and singing We Shall Overcome, or like a dog, snarling, going for a nice warm throat, taking a few of the muthas with you?

No one lives forever. Least of all those who'll trade anything to try to.

Sorry Rand, I also don't buy the argument that the goal of the Jihadists is to inconvenience us. Their goal is to kill us, and anything we can do to thwart that goal, and to allow us to kill them instead, is winning on our part.

And I'm with you Carl, if allowed I'll carry on commercial aircraft. The State of SC lets me carry in state (and states that recognize an SC CWP) so why not on an aircraft?

It's certainly not their only goal, but it is a goal (not to "inconvenience us," but to destroy our way of life and our materialistic economy).

True they want to "destroy our way of life and our materialistic economy" but I hardly think they achieve that goal when the public has to wait in line a little longer or undergo some other inconveniences during air travel etc. They do however achieve that very goal when they are successful in an attack such as 9/11 or the one just avoided.

I agree with you to a certain extent that we shouldn’t allow terrorist to totally change our way of life, I think we disagree in degree only as to what actions on our part constitute doing so.

True they want to "destroy our way of life and our materialistic economy" but I hardly think they achieve that goal when the public has to wait in line a little longer or undergo some other inconveniences during air travel etc.

They don't destroy it, but they certainly knock it down by many tens, if not hundreds of billions of dollars. Pretty good payoff for not that much effort. This is going to be a disaster for the airline industry, just as 9/11 was.

"This is going to be a disaster for the airline industry, just as 9/11 was."

That remains to be seen, I have serious doubts that it will have that big of an effect.

I read somewhere that oil prices dropped $2 a barrel. One thing about 9/11 and this latest thing, when you sit a bunch of planes on the ground: less fuel is used. Now, if we can only get the Hollywood left coast not to fly to London (to drop anti-Bush slurs), then the environment and the economy would be in better shape.