I totally agree dude.  It seems a large portion of the population is giving up on free thinking and becoming "floaters".  Just like you said, they see no practical application of their freedoms and take them for granted.
And about the damage that terrorism does... take a look at this:
*2001 Cancer Statistics
    * All types of cancers except basal and squamous cell skin cancers and in situ carcinomas except urinary bladder cancer: 1,284,900 new cases, and an estimated 555,500 deaths in the year 2002. The breakdown of some of these cancers are as follows:
    *
      An estimated 205,000 new cases of Breast Cancer, with an estimated number of deaths at 40,000.
    *
      An estimated 189,000 new cases of Prostate Cancer, with 30,200 estimated deaths.
    *
      An estimated 183,200 new cases of Lung and bronchial Cancer, with 161,400 estimated deaths.
    *
      An estimated 279,100 new cases of Genital system cancers, with 57,100 estimated deaths.
    *
      An estimated 30,300 new cases and 29,700 deaths due to Pancreatic Cancer.
    *
      An estimated 107,300 new cases of Colon Cancer, with 48,100 estimated deaths.
    *
      An estimated 17,000 new cases of brain and nervous system cancers, with 13,100 estimated deaths.
    *
      An estimated 30,800 new cases of leukemias, with 21,700 estimated deaths.
    *
      An estimated 2,400 new cases of bone and joint cancer, with 1,300 estimated deaths.
    *
      An estimated 28,900 oral and pharynx cancers, with 7,400 estimated deaths.
    *
      An estimated 58,300 new cases of skin cancer, such as skin melanoma (excluding basal & squamous), with an estimated 9,600 deaths.
    *
      Multiple myeloma - an estimated 14,600 new cases and 10,800 deaths
    *
      Lymphomas - an estimated 60,900 new cases and 25,800 death
    *
      Other and unspecified primary sites - an estimated 30,200 new cases, with 43,700 deaths.
    *
      For childhood cancers, an estimated 9,100 new cases are expected to occur among children aged 0 -14, with 1,400 deaths. Cancer is the chief cause of death by disease in children between the ages of 1 and 14.
http://www.cancure.org/statistics.htm
-Thats 501,300 deaths due to cancer alone in 2001.
-16,652 people were killed by drunk drivers in 2001.
http://alcoholism.about.com/cs/drive/a/aa020429a.htm
-2,973 people died and 24 remain missing due to terrorism in 2001.
Clearly terrorism should be our #1 priority...
Tobacco, alcohol, and other illegal substances killed more poeple than terrorism in 2001.
But hold your bets!  Who is going to be the first one to say "But if we don't stop them now, terrorists will do a much bigger attack and kill even more people"?