The Hill News

Be afraid. Be very afraid. That’s the message from the U.S. State Department, which issued its travel alert over the weekend for Americans traveling to Europe. But without any specific instructions on what to do about the “potential for terrorist attacks” there.

“U.S. citizens should take every precaution to be aware of their surroundings and to adopt appropriate safety measures to protect themselves when traveling,” the alert says.

So the administration has managed to instill a vague sense of panic into U.S. citizens, who are left to decide themselves whether to go ahead with their travel plans. Most have greeted the alert with a shrug and have carried on with business as usual. I’m still planning to fly to London and take the Eurostar to Paris. What’s the alternative unless the U.S. administration grounds all flights, as we saw with a Heathrow terror alert in August 2006?

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