kipple

Sunday, March 23, 2003

Weighing Your Risks of Becoming a Terror Victim. The probability of a terrorist attack occurring in the U.S. may be high, but the risk to any one person seems relatively low. By John Tierney. [New York Times: National]

To scholars who study risk, the president was guilty of the same sin committed by opponents of nuclear power who warn of tens of thousands of deaths from an accident. Dwelling on worst-case scenarios can be useful politically when you're trying to justify a war or shut down a power plant, but it distracts you from preparing for the problems you're most liable to face.

...

The probability of a terrorist attack occurring in the United States may be high, but the risk to any one person seems relatively low. Barry Glassner, the author of "The Culture of Fear: Why Americans Are Afraid of the Wrong Things," notes that even in 2001, that singularly bad year, the worldwide death toll from terrorism was under 4,000, less than a tenth of the death toll from car accidents in the United States alone.

9:21:00 PM

This picture was taken outside my home town Richmond, VA. Occasionally, I wonder why I could never live there agian. Well, here's a big reason. A picture named iraq_french_war.jpg

Pro-War Demonstrators Show Support. A day after massive anti-war rallies attracted thousands across the nation - including more than 100,000 people in a march down Broadway - hundreds of people gathered in Times Square and other cities Sunday to show support for the war in Iraq. [Associated Press war headlines via GoUpstate.com]
9:12:36 PM

Reported Muslim Accused in Grenade Attack. A U.S. soldier accused of killing a fellow serviceman by throwing grenades into tents at a 101st Airborne Division command center in Kuwait was reportedly a Muslim who had recently been reprimanded for insubordination. [Associated Press war headlines via GoUpstate.com]

So, it wasn't a terrorist. Just a misguided American. That's even worse...
9:04:30 PM

U.S. Finds Suspected Iraq Chemical Plant. WASHINGTON (AP) -- U.S. forces on Sunday pressed to find the first cache of Saddam Hussein's chemical and biological weapons, seizing a suspected chemical factory in southern Iraq and checking other sites based on leads from captured Iraqis and document. By The Associated Press. [New York Times: NYT HomePage]
8:59:49 PM