You all know about the bomb threats called in to various Jewish Community Centers, right? There were no bombs, just a lot of panic, and parents withdrawing their children from preschool, and additional (and costly) security measures. Fear of violence is costly, even without actual violence.
I tried to dig a bit further, but wasn’t able to make any progress, so I thought I’d throw this to my knowledgeable readers. It seems that bomb threats reliably cause disruption, but I don’t recall there ever actually being a bomb found in any instance that makes it to the news. Can any of you recall any instance where there was a bomb, and the call, and resulting evacuation, actually saved people from the real harm of a bomb exploding?
As it is, a bomb threat is an all-too-easy way to terrify people without actually having to do anything other than pick up the phone.