Haven't said anything political in a while, and it's been a slightly odd experience.  I was kind of wondering how long it would be before I was inclined to talk politics, and now I guess I know.  I heard something, today, that made some things a little clearer for me, but I'll get into the details in just a little bit.

  I'm an intuitive person.  Often, I'll hear something that just doesn't sound right, and I won't have any direct knowledge to support the suspicion, but it'll end up that days, months, or even years later, I'll hear or see precisely what confirmed my suspicion to be true.

  For instance, back in high school, in 9th grade, I was taught that you never put hot food in the fridge, because it puts it at greater risk of going bad.  I was taught that you should let it cool first.  I knew of no proof or evidence to back myself up, but I had a feeling that it wasn't true.  Years later, I'm watching tv, and a scientist explains precisely why it wasn't true.

  Things like that happen to me frequently, relatively speaking.  When I'm in discussions, I provide logic and evidence to back up my opinions, but more often than not, I had the opinion prior to knowing why I believed it to be true.  In some cases, I discover the logic in the process of discussing or explaining (actually writing it out in a string of words).

  When I'm just pondering things, thinking to myself, sometimes I'll question my beliefs to see if they actually do stand up to logic.  Sometimes I'm just pondering one thing and it ends up shedding light on something else in the process.

  Anyway, I've heard many times people going back and forth about whether or not America is more secure since the war started.  It's always baffled me how anyone (who doesn't have and agenda) can claim that America is not more secure.  It's like having two, big mathematical equations but missing the smaller one that connects the two.  And today I heard that detail that clarified it.

  One thing I overlooked, in this particular instance, is that Liberals equate feelings with reality.  If something feels bad, then it is bad.  If it feels good, then it is good.

  [I suppose I'll add, "generally speaking", to cover my ass.]

  For Liberals, whether or not we ARE more secure, is not the point.  The point for them is whether or not they FEEL more secure.  I'm almost embarrassed by this oversight, especially given that they fight against most, if not all, of the security measures that actually work.

  The polls say most Americans feel less secure.  Well, there are a few ways to look at that.  For one, maybe most Americans would feel more secure if the Liberals would stop undermining security every second of the day.  It's just an thought.

  I don't pay any mind to polls.  It's way too easy to word a survey to get whatever results you desire.  I don't care what anyone's polls say, but in this case, let's say that most Americans do feel less secure.  Hell, it's perfectly reasonable and expected that they would.  I can sum it up for you in three words:

  Ignorance is bliss.

  Think back to before 9/11.  How much did you actually know about Jihadists?  Did you know there was a branch of Muslims who believed it was their religious duty to kill anyone not of their religion?  Did you know that these extremists were all around the world and actively working for their goal?  Did you know that they were in America, learning the skills they would need to carry out their plans?

  Think about how much you do know now, and how much of that has been going on since before you found out.  Of course most Americans don't FEEL more secure.  They had no idea just how insecure they actually were, and they had no concept of against what they were insecure.

  Let's say you just find out that your house is infested with extremely poisonous snakes.  Do you feel more or less safe than when you thought you were in no danger?

  It's just stupid.

  I'd like to say something about this whole "war on terror" thing, with focus on the word "terror".  I dislike that banner.  I'm a little sick of the word "terrorist".  It's too gimmicky for my tastes, but since even the lowest common denominator is also a voter, you have to appeal to them.  I prefer Islamo-fascist, but that's beside the point.

  In my opinion, the use of terror is just another tactic.  It's just a form of psychological warfare.  You want something; you scare them into giving it to you.  I am not opposed to utilizing fear (terror is relative).  Common citizens use some degree of fear to get what they want on a daily basis, except it often goes by a more palatable term: leverage.  

  If a person IS going to get what they want by some unpleasant or immoral means, isn't it better to scare them into giving it to you instead of killing them and taking it anyway?