Keeping an open mind is - IMO - to seek to better know or understand - doesn't necessarily mean to accept or agree - however - one problem with it all is that
the larger the island of knowledge, the longer the shoreline of wonder.*
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How many murders by terrorists is acceptable?
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This - as many of the questions in post #4 - is certainly rhetorical - in that it is being asked for the sake of persuasive effect rather than as a genuine request for information - with a less than subtle implication that the answer is too obvious to require a response.
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Seems around 3,000 is our cut off. More than that is a problem?
Maybe we should allow that number to grow over the years with our increase in population?
In the fall of each year a memo is released to the terrorists that reads they've killed this year's quota and will have to hold off on attacks until Jan 1st.
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Not sarcasm?
I apologize if I read this wrong.
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The individual in the story Richard posted links al Qaeda to terrorist acts and then uses data from 2007 (the last year data is available) to support the idea we're safe from terrorism.
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Actually - he didn't say that - and I took his
thesis to be:
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In short, my concern is that we are allowing an exaggerated fear of al Qaeda to distort our foreign policy priorities. Having underestimated the danger from al Qaeda before 9/11, have we now swung too far the other way? I am not arguing for a Pollyanna-like complacency or suggesting that we simply ignore the threat that groups like al Qaeda still pose. Rather, I'm arguing that the threat is not as great as the administration -- and most Americans, truth be told -- seem to think, and that the actual danger does not warrant escalating U.S. involvement in Central Asia.
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And he then follows his thoughts with 3 points to consider which offer counter arguments to his own thesis.
I found the piece of interest - with
some valid points of discussion and of concern - and thought it might be of such to others in this forum to better understand some of the thinking which appears to be influencing our national level policy decision makers today.
I also found the responses to it by members of this forum to be equally of interest and - perhaps - a
micro-view of just how difficult it can be for our nation to reach consensus on any such issue.
Oh - and as far as acceptable numbers - I can only think of one at the moment - my jackass of a neighbor who always wants to mow his lawn on Sunday evenings around 2100. 
And so it goes...
Richard's $.02
* Jean Henri Fabre