Indeed. I've been trying to determine the difference between control and conditioning.....tough....
Actually, ever since we ceded control of the air and socialized the risk of airline safety to the FAA, the government has had control, albeit somewhat invisible. This is an in-your-face expression of raw power with the expectation that the public will submit willingly for "safety."
The one thing the government does not want and will not tolerate is muster of the force most suited to dealing with domestic terrorism: the people as a whole militia. I promise you, should the people get the idea, the terrorists would be out of this country or dead in a matter of months.