That is a prescription for failure. So we shouldn't wear seatbelts because we might get in an accident? Or smoke because we might get cancer .... ? ? ?

That isn't what I meant, and I think you know that, but I'll give you the benefit of the doubt. We can choose to live life, or to live life in fear. The difference between the examples you give, are those are things we have control over. You have control over whether you want to smoke, or not, regardless of whether it will give you cancer. Personally, I hate cigarettes, but I know some people like smoking them. That is their choice. Some people are stupid enough to ride motorcycles without a helmet, even though it might kill them. That is their choice.

But we can't control whether a terrorist attacks us. Yes, we can do things to make our country safer, like having stricter policies about illegal immigration, and making sure chemical plants and nuclear facilities are well guarded, but I am not willing to give up my personal freedoms because I am afraid. A lot more people are killed every year in car accidents than were killed in the WTC on 9-11, but we don't give up driving. We accept there are certain risks involved. Would you rather live in a police state and be safe? Or live free with the possibilty that one day some whacko may or may not kill you? It's probably more likely you'd be killed by a serial killer or an angry alligator than be killed in a terrorist attack on US soil.

Hmm

I think the point is that we can and should provide the best possible homeland security in a manner that is consistent with the Constitution.

That means we shouldnt:

wiretap citizens w/o a warrant (or notification of a FISA court if timing is essential to national security)
or hold citizens in custody w/o a charge or access to counsel
or subordinate first amendment speech and press rights
or conduct military operations on US soil

...all of which were "justified" in those DoJ memos to Bush that were recently made public.

Which accomplished what it was supposed to do.

Sting the bear on it's nose.
The bear then comes out of it's cave, stumbles and thrashes about the whole forest, pisses off all the other critters, and loses it's whole honey stash.
Why sting it again?

That sounds about right, Bruce.

So you guys figure al Qaeda is responsible for the economy, and not bad valuation of toxic mortgages causing several major banking failures leading to a credit crunch?

Hint:
-- cost of entire Iraq war: $3 trillion -- and everybody agrees that is far, far too much
-- cost of bank recovery and economic stimulus bills: $1487 trillion -- and many think it is not enough

Al Qaeda attacks on US interests between 1st and 2nd WTC events, source:

4 October, 1993 Eighteen US servicemen killed in Somalia
25 June, 1996 US military base in Saudi bombed 19 servicemen killed
7 August, 1998 US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania bombed
12 October, 2000 Attack on US warship in Yemen kills 17 sailors

Al Qaeda attacks on US interests after 9/11:

18 June, 2004 US engineer beheaded in Saudi Arabia

I think al qaeda was hoping we would do something stupid, like spending trillions of dollars on a war with a country that did not attack us. If we hadn't had such wreckless policies over the past 8 years, and the housing still manged to crash, we might have been in a much better place to be able to handle it.

And where are you getting the figure $1487 trillion? That number is wrong.

You said, specifically, in this country.

Here are more attacks by terrorists, some linked to al qaeda since 2001:

2002 - June 14, Karachi, Pakistan: bomb explodes outside American consulate in Karachi, Pakistan, killing 12. Linked to al-Qaeda.

2003 - May 12, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: suicide bombers kill 34, including 8 Americans, at housing compounds for Westerners. Al-Qaeda suspected.

2004 - June 11–19, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: terrorists kidnap and execute Paul Johnson Jr., an American, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. 2 other Americans and BBC cameraman killed by gun attacks.
- Dec. 6, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia: terrorists storm the U.S. consulate, killing 5 consulate employees. 4 terrorists were killed by Saudi security.

2005 - Nov. 9, Amman, Jordan: suicide bombers hit 3 American hotels, Radisson, Grand Hyatt, and Days Inn, in Amman, Jordan, killing 57. Al-Qaeda claimed responsibility.

2006 - Sept. 13, Damascus, Syria: an attack by four gunman on the American embassy is foiled.

2007 - Jan. 12, Athens, Greece: the U.S. embassy is fired on by an anti-tank missile causing damage but no injuries.
Dec. 11, Algeria: more than 60 people are killed, including 11 United Nations staff members, when Al Qaeda terrorists detonate two car bombs near Algeria's Constitutional Council and the United Nations offices.

2008 - May 26, Iraq: a suicide bomber on a motorcycle kills six U.S. soldiers and wounds 18 others in Tarmiya.
June 24, Iraq: a suicide bomber kills at least 20 people, including three U.S. Marines, at a meeting between sheiks and Americans in Karmah, a town west of Baghdad.
June 12, Afghanistan: four American servicemen are killed when a roadside bomb explodes near a U.S. military vehicle in Farah Province.
July 13, Afghanistan: nine U.S.soldiers and at least 15 NATO troops die when Taliban militants boldly attack an American base in Kunar Province, which borders Pakistan. It's the most deadly against U.S. troops in three years.
Aug. 18 and 19, Afghanistan: as many as 15 suicide bombers backed by about 30 militants attack a U.S. military base, Camp Salerno, in Bamiyan. Fighting between U.S. troops and members of the Taliban rages overnight. No U.S. troops are killed.
Sept. 16, Yemen: a car bomb and a rocket strike the U.S. embassy in Yemen as staff arrived to work, killing 16 people, including 4 civilians. At least 25 suspected al-Qaeda militants are arrested for the attack.
Nov. 26, India: in a series of attacks on several of Mumbai's landmarks and commercial hubs that are popular with Americans and other foreign tourists, including at least two five-star hotels, a hospital, a train station, and a cinema. About 300 people are wounded and nearly 190 people die, including at least 5 Americans.

Here is another list of suspected al qaeda attacks. It's too long to list, so just go and look. There are DOZENS listed.
http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0884893.html

700 + 787?

That is billions, not trillions. Silly man. :p

My original question was about why no attacks in this country, my point was to note that al Qaeda was plenty busy with the desire to hurt American interests and now it is either not interested or not able.

And that includes in Iraq: 3 combat deaths so far this month.

You're right, my bad!

How about a billion an hour this year?