So. Some liberty-loathing, bacon-hating a-holes were going to try to bring down a bunch of planes over the Atlantic, murdering a bunch of people in the name of Allah. It’s called Islamic fascism. It’s terrorism. And it blows. And not just stuff up. It plays on the most basic of our emotions. Not sex or hunger. Fear. And fear is like poop. Nobody wants to admit they have any, but everyone’s got at least a little but somewhere. And it stinks. And it can make you really uncomfortable. And it’s hard to get off your shoes.

We all react to things that are frightening in different ways. Some people, like all the guys in my middle school, get angry and start punching things, like my face. Some people let the fear take over. It controls them and they start acting just as crazy as the folks who are walking around punching dogs in the head.

We can’t let the fear take over. Maybe heightened security is smart. Maybe it’s too much. I don’t know. It’s not like they caught these guys getting on a plane. They arrested them in their homes and their apartments in the middle of the night. But that’s not the point. We can talk about it. Sure, let people know that we caught these guys. But this is a victory. They didn’t succeed. Those flights are safe. Let’s be happy that people are still alive. Let’s not slip under the blanket of fear, waiting for the next big attack. Let’s not talk about the impact on gasoline prices and flight cancellations. Let’s move on. Because unless we step out and live our lives, the terrorists have still won.

Let's fight the terror. Not by hate. Not by irrational striking out.

Let's not be afraid.