Future chroniclers of popular madness and the delusions of crowds will devote considerable attention to America's "War on Terror." It is obvious to any rational person that a carefully planned terrorist attack has good chances of success, and that multiple attempts at such attacks will inevitably succeed. This is because a large modern nation cannot protect every vulnerable person, place, and thing in it.
Yet Americans persist in believing that the Bush government can provide them with meaningful "protection" against terrorism. What America has bought is the most expensive placebo pill ever manufactured. Including the costs of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, we are well on the way to spending One trillion (with a T) dollars on measures that cannot prevent a determined terrorist attack. Here is why:
1. Terrorists would not strike a well-guarded target. Thus all the heavily-armed police, military, and paramility forces strolling around airports and train stations are useless.
2. Terrorists would not likely repeat a tactic that has already been countered. Thus, further investment in safeguards against past terrorist tactics are largely pointless.
3. Terrorists would plan for contigencies, backup, and alternatives in an attack. Thus, even swift detection and reaction to an unfolding attack would be unlikely to prevent a destructive result.
4. Wars of aggression against foreign countries do not effectively counter the launching of terrorist attacks planned by non-state organizations. Al Qaeda is a non-state actor, and its spectacular 9/11 attack did not require any support from a foreign government.
In summary, America's "War on Terror" is possibly the most expensive act of collective insanity ever committed by a modern country. It is ruinously expensive and has no logical basis, yet it has an unshakeable grip on the minds of the public. Only financial ruin will end this "war." The anti-terror placebo will turn out to be America's poisoned pill.