More Americans died from dog bites or lightning than terrorism last year

This means we need to spend a lot more money on stopping dog bites and lightning strikes. Either that or Bear Patrols. Is the bottomless pit of spending for so-called anti-terrorism really worth it?

ThinkProgress:

While identifying and then preventing or combating terrorism is an important part of the nation’s national security strategy, it is important to keep things in perspective when deciding national priorities. Last week, the State Department its annual Country Reports On Terrorism, which surveys terrorism injuries and deaths worldwide last year.

The report notes that 15 American private citizens died from terrorism last year worldwide, with almost all the deaths occurring in Afghanistan and one each occurring in Iraq and Uganda. While this statistic is tragic, it should be noted that it is dwarfed by the number of Americans who died from two other causes which do not receive nearly as much sensationalistic media coverage: dog bites and lightning strikes.