It so happens that law enforcement officials and national security officials and politicians do not think that the voters will accept 3 to 6 Boston bombings per year, without their careers being destroyed. Do they misunderstand the public mood?
Of course some say the media is just showing people what they want to see but that is naive. The two are intertwined. Further, if no news agencies were allowed to report on terrorist attacks (as they are not supposed to report on self immolation) then the public wouldn't care because most people wouldn't even know about it.
Take away the security apparatus and many of their jobs are gone whether there is an attack or not.
Would you still be interested in that service?
tom at blendah.com
Implying mercenary intent absolves the voters of any responsibility.