Just curious --- how likely is it that this will be a real question for you? I was planning to going into the city next weekend -- I haven't made up my minde yet
I was in NYC last week and I will go back tomorrow. I will be working in the financial district. There were lots of tourists there.
I'm having a similar debate on another issues forum except regarding whether you would get on a plane if you saw a bunch of Arab looking guys waiting to board with you. My own opinion is yes just like I would go to New York for work or vacation. This doesn't mean we have anything to worry about but we do need to put things into perspective. Terrorism is a real threat but at the same time the odds of a terrorist attack occuring on any particular plane, even with a bunch of Arab looking guys onboard, or at any particular time in NY are still incredibly remote. There's much much higher probabilty of the plane crashing from mechanical failure or dying from getting food poisining eating a bad hotdog from a NY street vendor. Also as much as I hate to say it but GW Bush was right when he said if we don't carry on our lives out of fear of terrorism the terorrists win.
We live under the flight path to Austin Bergstrom There was lighning close to our home today We drove on the freeway We ate food in a restaurant I walked on the wet sidewalk I pulled a plug out of the wall I could go on...
I basically agree that you can't worry about everything. But you can take things to control the odds that you can. e.g. you wouldn't go running in a thunderstorm you wouldn't walk blindfolded thru traffic That's not being paranoid.
No one said you're being paranoid. We take moderate risks all day every day in the course of living our lives. People tend to ignore those, thinking that 'it' won't happen to you. WRT to terrorism, why suddenly think 'it' will happen to you?
I don't get on airplanes even when there aren't any Arabs going on board with me. I would like to travel to New York, though, and would go despite the terror warning that's just come out. Even if an attack happened while I was there (which is statistically unlikely despite the threat), the chances I would be killed or injured is still fairly small. Statistically speaking, I'm probably taking a bigger risk driving down Stemmons Freeway than I am going to New York during a "terror warning" time.
If being in NYC would keep me away from people that take seriously transparent nonsense like "terror alerts," perhaps I shall move back.
