Failsafe
<p>I just sent the following letter to the <cite>Boston Globe</cite><br />
after reading Elaine Scarry&#8217;s excellent piece <a href="http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/265/focus/Failsafe+.shtml">Failsafe!</a>:</p>
<hr />
<p>Congratulations on having the bravery to publish Elaine<br />
Scarry&#8217;s &#8220;Failsafe&#8221;.  She is right to point out that distributed<br />
threats require distributed countermeasures. She is right to point out<br />
that centralized defense of the U.S. massively failed us.  She is<br />
right to point out that the founders of the U.S. envisioned citizens,<br />
not standing armies, as the backbone of the nation&#8217;s defense.</p>
<p>After all that argument and build-up, it is only unfortunate<br />
that she stopped short of the logical conclusion: that to prevent<br />
future hijackings, the logical course is to arm the passengers. </p>
<p>The extension to other situations involving crime, terrorism, and<br />
politics (insofar as the three are distinguishable at all) is left<br />
as an exercise for the reader.</p>
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