Word: safe
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 2000-2009
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...killed 17 U.S. sailors, Washington had been looking to punish the ringleader of the attack, Qaed Sinan Harithi. More than two years later, after learning he would be traveling across the country in an SUV, the U.S. launched a Predator drone. Once in the open countryside, safely away from any civilians, the drone fired a Hellfire missile into the vehicle, instantly dispatching Harithi and five al-Qaeda colleagues to the ultimate highway rest stop. That marked the first time the U.S. had killed a foe using an unmanned drone. It's a safe bet such aircraft are now orbiting...
...collective response to this legacy of ass-kicking is puzzling. Each time, we build a slapdash pedestal for the heroes. Then we go back to blaming the government for failing to keep us safe, and the government goes back to treating us like children. This now familiar ritual distracts us from the real lesson, which is that we are not helpless. And since regular people will always be first on the scene of terrorist attacks, we should perhaps prioritize the public's antiterrorism capability - above and beyond the fancy technology that will never be foolproof...
...Instead, we hear this blather from President Obama: "The American people should be assured that we are doing everything in our power to keep you and your family safe and secure during this busy holiday season." He forgets that Americans have never really wanted the government to do "everything in its power" to keep us safe. That would make this a terrible place to live. And yet, after eight years of paternalistic bluster from President George W. Bush, we have grown accustomed to the cycle of absurd promises followed by failure and renewed by fear. Bush liked to say that...
...Even the fanciest machines, however, won't make the system fail-safe. Security experts say the hunt for the perfect shield is misplaced: bullets always outrun armor, and the same is true of terrorists and scanners. Or as Winston Churchill warned of a different threat in a different war, "The bomber will always get through." (Read "Detroit Terrorism Suspect: The Nigeria Connection...
...months since the disputed June election, and the gathering had the air of a reunion, an army regrouping post-battle, behind friendly lines. We were safe, so we thought, high up in this mountain suburb. The walls that would later hem us in seemed to offer warmth and comfort...