What are the odds?

Odds of dying in a terrorist attack on American soil : 1 in 88,000.

How does this compare with other causes of death? Well, take a look…

Heart Disease 1-in-5
Cancer 1-in-7
Stroke 1-in-23
Accidental Injury 1-in-36
Motor Vehicle Accident 1-in-100
Intentional Self-harm (suicide) 1-in-121
Falling Down 1-in-246
Assault by Firearm 1-in-325
Fire or Smoke 1-in-1,116
Natural Forces (heat, cold, storms, quakes, etc.) 1-in-3,357
Electrocution 1-in-5,000
Drowning 1-in-8,942
Air Travel Accident 1-in-20,000
Flood* (included also in Natural Forces above) 1-in-30,000
Legal Execution 1-in-58,618
Tornado* (included also in Natural Forces above) 1-in-60,000
Lightning Strike (included also in Natural Forces above) 1-in-83,930

Therefore, the Culture of Fear that the Bush Administration just LOVES to use to push their agenda is based on something that is very unlikely to happen. We might as well be trying to outlaw automobiles as Weapons of Mass Destruction, right? But, of course, that seems ridiculous, doesn’t it? So why doesn’t the Culture of Fear seem even MORE ridiculous than that idea?

You might also note that a Natural Force (such as Hurricane Katrina) poses a much higher threat to human beings than terrorists do. You might also note that the authorities have been aware of that danger for years and years, and did nothing to prepare for such an eventual occurrence. And we’ve all seen how they’ve handled the aftermath of that.

Figures taken from Foreign Policy online and LiveScience.com