[extropy-chat] Psychology of investments in infrastructure

[Samantha Atkins]

On Jun 18, 2006, at 4:17 PM, spike wrote:

>> bounces at lists.extropy.org] On Behalf Of Samantha Atkins
>> Subject: Re: [extropy-chat] Psychology of bad probability estimation
>>
>> Changing our plans, even for mass transit, for what you yourself
>> admit is a extraordinarily small possibility does not strike me as
>> reasonable...
>
>
> Regardless of the truth of this report, subways are inherently  
> vulnerable to
> gas attacks as the Japanese found out on 20 March 1995.  First time  
> such an
> attack is attempted in the US, passenger levels will drop off  
> steeply and
> permanently, then the entire system is no longer commercially  
> viable.  It is
> a bad investment because of the inherent risk even today.
>
> Does anyone here think that terrorism will quietly go away?

That which we pay inordinate attention to and center our lives and  
country around certainly will not got away.  "You get more of what  
you pay attention to"  has an unfortunate amount of truth to it when  
much of what we do in name of  "the war on terror" results in more of  
the very policies that engender more terrorism.   Terrorism cannot be  
successfully fought without holding everyone and everything in  
suspicion forever.  This is no "success".    Terrorism is also an  
excuse for much the US (and others) wanted to do in any case.

If you want terrorism to go away then end the circumstances that fuel  
it.  Nothing else will do.


> Who thinks that
> terrorism will stay as it is now: an occasional successful attack  
> with many
> more planned attacks caught before they can be carried out?  Who  
> here thinks
> that terrorism will escalate?

It will escalate if we continue as we are now.  But the fear and  
paranoia will escalate much faster.

>
> I think that it will escalate, don't know how much, and that  
> subways and
> freeway tunnels are the logical target.
>
>> Can this society get off the Fear drug and get on with
>> life again?
>
> We are on with life again.

No, we are not.    We are in an unending war and will justify all  
matter of evil to support it.

- samantha