FORT MYERS, Florida (AP) -- School officials in southwest Florida said terrorism concerns led them to keep a high school band from marching in a London parade, but now angry British officials are telling travelers that Fort Myers is no safe haven, either.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/TRAVEL/04/02/tourism.dispute.ap/index.html


How affraid is too afraid? Is America as a nation really so paranoid and afraid, or is this more of an eclectic blend of irrational fear and xenophobia? After all London is very unAmerican, and those poor band kids wouldn't have the saftey of being in a land ruled by our great leader George Bush, they wouldn't be surrounded by good red blooded American Patriots, and of course no one at all would be armed - not even the cops!

What a horrible situation to throw a bunch of highschool kids in - those poor saps are just asking to get attacked again! Why it's practicly worse than if they were in league with John Kerry!

In related news:


Five teenage girls from Portage County face potential criminal charges after attempting to play a real-life version of Super Mario Bros.

The Portage County Hazardous Materials Unit and Bomb Detection Unit were called in to downtown Ravenna on Friday morning after seventeen suspicious packages -- boxes wrapped in gold wrapping paper with question marks spray painted on them -- had alarmed residents.
http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/news/14239923.htm


It seems we now face Nintendo based terror! As if all the unsafe European vacation destinations weren't enough!

So what's up, America? Have we lost it? Is this what it has come to? I think we need to all just take some xanex and quite jumping at our own shadows, maybe realize that a lot of politicians have invested a lot of time and money in making us this stupid and afraid (well afraid, at least, maybe we're partialy to blame for the stupid) and strike back in the midterm elections.

Reminds me of how Canadian beef is banned in the US when one mad cow originated there, but when a US mad cow is found, US cows somehow remain safe to eat. Or how US-made drugs bought from Canada are riskier than the same drugs bought in the US for a premium.

As you allude to, it's all about manipulating the gullible for money & power, as usual. Since the majority are now Republicans (i.e. gullible) and their masters have gobs of ill-gotten gains to spend on the midterm election, we can expect things to get worse. I expect the Republicans to gain more seats in November, despite the current polls that would seem to show otherwise.

The movie V for Vendetta shows some of our future.

I don't know, I'm a bit more of an optimist. I think that on some level the years of scandal and blatant ineptitude have perhaps dissilusioned enough people that they're ready to elect a new evil. The Democrats are far from perfect, but at least they haven't been screwing us over for the past 8 years and we can actualy look back to the last Democratic presidency with fond memories of a stable world and booming economy.

Five teenage girls from Portage County face potential criminal charges after attempting to play a real-life version of Super Mario Bros.

The Portage County Hazardous Materials Unit and Bomb Detection Unit were called in to downtown Ravenna on Friday morning after seventeen suspicious packages -- boxes wrapped in gold wrapping paper with question marks spray painted on them -- had alarmed residents.

I thought this was hillarious!

If the goal of terrorism is to spread fear, it seems to be working.

If the goal of terrorism is to spread fear, it seems to be working.

No, I don't think so. I think that's only in the sensationalist news media. Most Americans walk around doing whatever the hell they want even in the face of the threat of muggings, murder, serial killers, vicious child molestors, etc.

Oh, people bitch n' moan, but if you really look around, you'll see that they're doing the same things they did before the terrorist acts or threats. It's all just news media hype and nothing more.

Baron Max

I think that's only in the sensationalist news media. Most Americans walk around doing whatever the hell they want even in the face of the threat of muggings, murder, serial killers, vicious child molestors, etc.

People are more afraid than ever before, even though crime has radically decreased since the 1980s.

People are more afraid than ever before, even though crime has radically decreased since the 1980s.

Where did you get that information? Care to show it to us?

Just saying something does not make it so.

Baron Max

Where did you get that information? Care to show it to us?

Just saying something does not make it so.

Baron Max

It's in the statistics... This is also not a secret.

It's in the statistics... This is also not a secret.

Hmm, just recently I read that the violent crime rates in the USA were on the increase, yet you seem to agree that its not. What's the deal? Can the rate be both up and down at the same time?

And where have you seen statistics on the level of fear? Surely you don't suggest ....oh, my god, dare I say it? ...polls?

Baron Max

http://www.whitehouse.gov/fsbr/crime.html

your own government.

your own government.

So now you believe the US goverment, huh? And if that's so, why does it seem that you don't believe other things that our government says or publishes? Surely you, of all people on sciforums, aren't biased, are you?

Baron Max

So now you believe the US goverment, huh? And if that's so, why does it seem that you don't believe other things that our government says or publishes? Surely you, of all people on sciforums, aren't biased, are you?

Baron Max

trolling.

Asking you questions about your posts is ....trolling?

Golly, now I've finally figured out what "trolling" means! Thanks!

Baron Max

And this sock puppet is on ignore.

And this sock puppet is on ignore.

Yeah, it's always best to ignore those who question you about things of which you know little or nothing. You'd make a good politician, Spurious, they do the same thing!

Baron Max

Yeah, it's always best to ignore those who question you
or when they are stumbling for a rebuttal. :)

Wow, ridiculous. Bunch of pansies in those news stories.

Edit: I'm wary of the Super Mario Bros story as it was written on April 1st. ;)

- N

And this sock puppet is on ignore.
i didnt mean to bring this sockpuppet back to life....sorry.

I hope those kids who couldn't go to England didn't decide to take a road trip instead. Even if 9/11 happened once a year, flying would still be several orders of magnitude safer than driving.

Just imagine the clucking of a chicken and you have my take on the thread's story.
(I said 'clucking' Leoopold. Pay attention.)