Jim: Boy, if we were back at our usual table, I’d say, “Bartender, skip the Guinness and make it a whiskey. On the rocks. Double.”I moved to the Turkish capital of Ankara a little less than a year ago. Upon my arrival, I was pleasantly surprised at how safe it felt. The Turks love public order, particularly in their capital city, and there’s never a lack of cops on the streets. Crime is low. Since I’ve been here, there have been PKK bombings, including an attempted suicide bomber at the Ministry of Justice, but rarely did I feel like I was in any real danger. I take plenty of precautions.

Sunday’s shooting of a priest in Trabzon hit a little too close to home. I wouldn’t say that I don’t feel safe now, but the tension dial has definitely been turned up one notch. We’ve got a one-two punch in my neighborhood – the idiotic anti-American movie “Valley of the Wolves Iraq” and the Danish cartoon controversy. Generally, I would say Turkey is the Muslim country least likely to go nuts over this kind of stuff, and Ankara is the city least likely to see any serious problems. And yet… what’s it gonna take for some yahoo in this neck of the woods to try something? Judging by the number of Turkish cops outside potential targets, the authorities are getting ready in case something happens, too. It’s actually not that I’m worried about what tomorrow will bring… I’m worried about what this leads to. Does this escalate, day by day? Or does it dwindle out when there’s some other new public enemy of the week?

Keep in mind that there’s a part of me that realizes this environment isn’t necessarily a riskier place than back in the States. Back in Washington, I lived through the sniper attacks, anthrax mailings, 9/11 (was in Manhattan on September 10th), walked through Centennial Park 12 hours before the Olympic bombing… To quote the forthcoming book:

The nebulous and adaptable nature of the threat we face means that Americans rarely feel safe. Big cities are natural targets, but then again, so is the local post office. There’s reason to worry if you live near a nuclear reactor, or if you’re in a rural part of the country with crop dusters. Perhaps the only location unlikely to be in a terrorist’s crosshairs is, ironically, the Unabomber’s shack in the middle of nowhere.

Cam: Jim, you’ve moved from the murder capital of the United States. You’re safer now than you were living in DC.

Seriously, I think it’s only right that you’re more concerned today than you were last week. I know I would be. Heck, I’d probably be afraid to leave the house.

I guess what I’m trying to say is, if you get blown up by a suicide bomber, can I have your talking Yoda doll?

Jim: Now that is what friends are for - to make you laugh when discussing the grimmest of topics.

Cam: I am the Dionne Warwick to your Elton John. Or something like that. Seriously, I can only imagine what you’re going through, and even imagining it makes me a little skittish. At the same time, it’s not like the Embassy has issued a warning to Americans in Turkey to “come home now, and blame Billy Zane for your troubles”. I think you’ll be fine, as long as you take the sensible precautions I’m sure you already take. But know that you and Mrs. TKS are in my prayers every night, and that’s completely serious.

Marshall: It’s several says later now, and I’m just getting around to adding a comment. And I think my comment is about one word: wow.

And it really is a powerful reminder how lucky we are to live where we live — even if we don’t feel quite as bullet proof as we used to. We’re still a lot safer than most of the rest of the world.