According to CDC statistics from the National Center for Health Statistics, there were 2,416,425 deaths in the U.S. in 2001, the year al Qaeda attacked us big time. That means that 6,620 people died each and every day even though our life expectancy actually grew that year to over 77 years.
September 11th, 2001 was a tragedy, killing 3,000 innocent people in the worst ever terrorist attack against the U.S.
But statistically speaking, even that awful attack was responsible for just one tenth of one percent of the deaths in that year. It would take two such attacks each and every day to kill as many through terrorism as die regularly on their own.
Do we need a "war on falling"? Yes, that was flippant and over the top, but the point should be getting clearer.
"According to former U.S. Surgeon General David Satcher, obesity counts for 300,000 premature deaths per year." This means that 100 times more Americans die each year because we eat too much than died in the worst terrorist attack ever on our soil.
The point isn't to diminish the nastiness of the terrorist attacks. It surely isn't to speak lightly of those who died, especially those brave souls who risked and lost their lives fighting actual terrorists in the fourth jet and the firemen and police who tried to save the victims in New York. They are true heroes. The terrorists are true cowards.
The point is we are spending over 1,000 million dollars each and every day to "protect ourselves" from the Iraqi threat alone, and the Iraqis weren't even terrorizing us. Spending that money to help make Americans fit would save 100 times more lives than were lost in 9/11 each and every year.
Remember, 9/11 was almost a freak event. We didn't have any such serious attacks before or since. While I believe it makes sense to go after al Qaeda and other terrorist organizations -- we should have been doing so long before 9/11 right? -- we do need to balance our freedom, energies, money and soldiers' lives so that we get the greatest good in return.
Creating worldwide hatred for Americans, putting our soldiers at greater risk of being tortured themselves if captured, violating the rights of all just in case we might capture a few bad guys (can you name any high profile arrests as a result of the TSA, Homeland Security or the Patriot Act?), and diverting the world's unified attention and rejection of terrorism surely isn't the best way to increase world security, justice and peace.
The terrorist threat is real, though much less significant that one can clearly see from the actual death statistics. Surely we could accomplish more...
America is preoccupied with Bush's "War on Terror" and is neglecting what makes America great. While I'm for a war against terrorists, I'm against the war in Iraq because it increases the danger of terrorism to Americans while spreading anti-Americanism worldwide. This is not pacifism, but pragmatism. We only have so much money, time and soldiers' lives to spend, and we should spend it wisely.
Hatred of the U.S. would be unsupportable even in the Middle East if we focused on the above. Publicity showing the true colors of the fanatical Islamic government of Sudan and Muslims killing other Muslims throughout the Middle East would stand in stark contrast to an America that was indeed great again. But being great wasn't conferred upon us by God like the tyrant kings and politicos of old and new claim. It was earned daily by the hard work, dedication and bravery of a just and free nation.
For those who support Bush's failed policies in Iraq, I'd like you to raise your hands high. I'd like each and every one of you to put down your hand, pick up a pen and write a check to the IRS for your share of the 1,000 million dollars being spent every week, or pick up a pen and join the armed forces today. It's time you put your life or your money where your angry cause is. We don't need haters, bigots or macho white boys who spout vitriol while getting obese watching TV-war and munching on burgers and chips.
The Real Clear and Present Danger -- While we're off fighting terror, the planet's crumbling, by Richard Steiner, professor at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks