Some Thoughts on the El Paso Shooting

By Michael D. Tanner Michael D. Tanner

A few thoughts in the wake of the horrendous white-supremacist
terrorist attack in El Paso:

We must be careful not to
let fear (and grief and anger) drive us to rashness.

1. We should never forget that the purpose of terrorism is to
   terrorize. To the degree that we succumb to fear, that we alter our
   lives, or that we give up our freedoms, the terrorists win. It is
   not to diminish the horror of such events to recognize that we
   remain remarkably safe in this country. Your chances of being
   murdered by a terrorist of any kind remain smaller than your
   chances of drowning in a bathtub. We should not stop going to
   stores, eating at restaurants, having a drink in bars, or otherwise
   living our lives.
2. In the wake of 9/11, we allowed fear to lead us into a host of
   measures that threatened our civil liberties. Muslims and Muslim
   Americans were obviously the most likely to be targeted, but all
   Americans were caught up in increased surveillance and other
   law-enforcement measures. Recall that the Patriot Act passed by a
   margin of 91-1. Now we see similar knee-jerk calls for the
   government to “do something.” Already there have been
   calls to regulate the Internet, ban video games, curtail free
   speech, and generally increase police powers. Gun-control advocates
   ratchet up …Read the Rest

   Source:: Cato Institute