[chadillac83]

That is a reality that I guess I just naively assumed wasn't possible. This bit really kind of shook me. I've always thought of terrorism much like the author and the aforementioned poster you're replying to, a seemingly random and rare event. I'd never thought about what living in a society where it has become common place. I imagine it's a bit like when school shooting sprees line up in the States, each one on the news results in a "god dammit, another one, what an asshole, seriously?" We move on, and become desensitized in the long run and "overcome" time and again, but that doesn't make the situation any better or less negative.

I have no solution to that dilemma that won't put us as a society as low or lower than the terrorists we're fighting...

[adrianhoward]

That is a reality that I guess I just naively assumed wasn't possible. This bit really kind of shook me. I've always thought of terrorism much like the author and the aforementioned poster you're replying to, a seemingly random and rare event. I'd never thought about what living in a society where it has become common place

Got back and look at the UK in the 70's and 80's during the worst of the Northern Ireland troubles for an example.

There was a period of a couple of years where "suspect device" was a regular reason used for my train being late.

[subsystem]

Between foreign involvement, wars, social injustice, extremist religous groups, poor political system, right wing militants ploting to overthrow the government, access to arms, use of economic power, poverty and just being the largest western country, I'm actually suprised how little terrorism there is in the US.

[bpatrianakos]

Agreed. Last night my personal trainer who is otherwise the nicest guy ever said "why does this always happen here, these things happen here all the time" to which I replied "they happen almost every single day in other parts of the world, they barely ever happen here". He didn't believe me and proceeded to tell me about how "it's because we let all those god damn foreigners into the country". This is a really great guy and I had no idea he had these views but after hearing him say such an ignorant thing I too wonder why this doesn't happen here in the U.S. more often too.

[mullingitover]

It's disappointing, if not shocking, that the US population is so uninformed. Just today there was a bombing in Iraq that dwarfs the one in Boston. http://www.news.com.au/world-news/iraq-bombings-kill-46-ahea...

And last month as well: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/mar/20/al-qaida-iraq-an...