Originally Posted by SilentKnight

It's classic misdirection.

The west relies on having a boogeyman - a smokescreen for the government to divert attention from the conclusion they can't...or rather won't fix the economy, unemployment, gun control, drugs and illegal immigration.

Keep us in perpetual fear - duping us into believing that only our government stands between us and terrorism.

Dangle the boogeyman like a shiny object in front of us all and hope it pre-occupies us enough that we won't organize, rise up and toss their sorry asses to the curb.