When you realize that, as an American, you are far more likely to die in your bathtub than in a terrorist attack, you can live your entire life free of any fear of terrorism - and fear of taking baths, since that risk, while greater than a terrorist attack, is still tiny.
No system is safe from one person intent on destruction from within. Nor are they safe from mistakes, as the history of virtually every other biolab demonstrates.
Twenty states now have Sexual Violent Predator laws, which allow civil commitment of offenders who are considered likely to continue as sexual predators. But how reliable are the forensic mental health experts making the judgments of risk?
Numerous studies have shown that the general public has exaggerated perceptions of the health risks they face -- as well as exaggerated expectations of the benefit of medical care.
Give me whole body screening at airports any day. I would rather someone glance at my partially naked butt than kiss my butt goodbye.
Sooner or later, the leak will stop and we'll move on. It makes sense to worry most about what threatens you now, but it's a lousy way to assess the risks we really face.
Walking barefoot through airport security makes little sense if our ports are unprotected. Let's gather the courage to redirect our resources to risks that are high probability and high impact.
