Terror: How does it work?

Terrorism is generally accepted to be the use of criminal or illegal acts in an effort to raise fear.  This raises the question of what is criminal or illegal.  Can a government, acting within it's own laws, raise fear?  Can any group of people, through statements issues from the group, raise fear?  Can these rise to the level of terrorism?  I suggest that the answer to all of these questions is a resounding "Yes" and that terrorist acts are not necessarily criminal or illegal.

So when your government requires more searches, to stop the terrorists, are they not raising the fear level.  Remember the color coded threat levels?  Were those not simple terrorist acts, raising the fear among US citizens so that the erosion of the constitution would go unnoticed or even supported?  As a side note: Why does the US require air passengers to take off their shoes before boarding while most of Europe does not?

When a population changes it's pattern of activity in response to a terrorist threat (For example: if churches became targets of terrorists and the people stopped going to church) does that mean the terrorists have won or lost?  The people will claim they have won because the terrorists are no longer killing them in church.  The terrorists on the other hand will claim victory because people are no longer going to church.  So.... if the act of traveling becomes too arduous because of the security requirements (undressing, 60 minutes lost in the terminal due to lines a security, loss of privacy) and the public stops traveling have the terrorists won?  If the terrorists damage the economy have they won?  Do the terrorists actually have to kill anybody to win?  Don't they only have to threaten?

Have we become so adverse to risk that living life is no longer possible for most people?  Has the US become a nanny state?  If not, then why do we have so much more "security theater" in response to so few deaths?  Have not other countries suffered more prolonged onslaughts with multiple attacks and not been so draconian in their response?

Why has the US been so ready to roll over and be the victim of terrorism?  Why has it lost the battle?  Why have the people not stood up and said "Enough is enough" and refused to accept the government dictates for presumptive security?  Why are we such sheep?

OK, most of you can go back to your first world problems now.