The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Bruce Schneier.

Not so. It’s a pretty accurate expression of a great many people’s opinions.

The best defenses against terrorism are largely invisible: investigation, intelligence, and emergency response. But even these are less effective at keeping us safe than our social and political policies, both at home and abroad. However, our elected leaders don’t think this way: They are far more likely to implement security theater against movie-plot threats.