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RE: Don Phillips column, page 12-13, Trains/Jan. 2008

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As always, he wrote an excellent column and gently made points I disagree with.  It's my guess that the function of TSA is to prevent terrorism by transportation modes.  This is a proactive thing- and if it works, you never know it did.  If the proactive approach doesn't work, well, everyone knows it.The one line that really bugged me was "Europe has undergone far more terrorist acts and lost many hundreds of thousands more casualties than the United States over the decades, but Europe handles its casualties with far more bravery than the United States."  That kind of line opens up a whole line of questioning.  How did he come up with the number?  Is it bravery that causes Europeans to reboard trains, or is it a lack of alternate transportation?  If all you have is a trolley car, a bus, and a train to get around town, is it bravery to continue their use? Or neccessity?The sad hassle of airport passengers began back in the 60's with airplane hijackings from the USA to Cuba, or with out and out extortion attempts (where are you now, D.B. Cooper?)  In general, I agree with what Mr. Phillips put so well- that there must be some form of middle ground with regard to security.  But making Europeans braver than Americans?  That's a little over the top- and suggests that flying aircraft into tall buildings is part of the cost of providing cheap, reliable, and convenient transportation to citizens.  All they have to be is brave enough to use it.Well, call me a coward and paint me yella, but if I use public transportation, I should have a reasonable expectation of arriving at my planned destination in one piece and on time.  I know, I know- it's unreasonable to expect government to protect me against "all threats, foreign and domestic."Yes, the Brit police did react quickly to the terrorists- and so did the Madrid police.  But it smacks a little bit of locking the barn after the horse has left.
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