We're just going to have to get used to the fact that some freedoms are going to be infringed upon for at least a while, until the immediate panic of the last few weeks dies down. We're going to have to wait in longer lines, hassle with more security and generally deal with more inconvenience at airports. That shouldn't be a problem for most of us. A false bomb threat delayed Flight 1459, departing from Indianapolis to St. Louis. But people seemed to handle it in stride.
Airports are inconvenient by definition.
But other things, more subtle than that, are being taken away from us. Just as we find it quaint that until the 1900s, people could stroll right into the White House and ask to see the president, future generations may well be surprised that we were once so naive in terms of security. Just like the assassination of President Kennedy ushered in a new, depressing 12 years during which major leaders were either shot or shot at, the terrorism of this summer may have a resonance across time. We won't find it as easy to go to the football game, or the professional basketball arenas, anymore. For the next few years, whenever we watch the Olympics, we'll be waiting for something like the Centennial Park blast to happen.