There's no question they are dangerous individuals, but--without demeaningthe indelible trauma of 9/11 or the Madrid bombings--the danger they pose mustbe seen with some kind of dispassionate perspective. A terrorist attack is arare and sudden disaster, the man-made equivalent of an earthquake or flood.More people die in the U.S. every year from choking on food than died in theTwin Towers. About 35,000 die annually from gunshot wounds. (While Bush liftsthe ban on assault weapons, and both Bush and Kerry promote gun ownership, acaptured al-Qaeda manual recommends traveling to the U.S. to buy weapons.) About45,000 die in car crashes--while the Bush administration lowers automobilesafety standards to increase the profits of the auto industry, major donors tohis campaign. Millions, of course, die from diseases, and one can only imagineif the billions spent on useless elephantine bureaucracies like the Departmentof Homeland Security had gone to hospitals and research. If the goal weregenuinely to protect lives, fighting terrorism would be a serious matter forpolice and intelligence agencies, and a small project of a nation's well-being.