I recall reading the short story by Rod Serling and it was perhaps the series' finest moments.

"Maple Street, U.S.A. Late summer. A tree-lined little world of front porch gliders, barbecues, the laughter of children, and the bell of an ice-cream vendor. At the sound of the roar and the flash of light, it will be precisely 6:43pm on Maple Street. This is Maple Street on a late Saturday afternoon. Maple Street, in the last calm and reflective moment before the monsters came."

I recall Serling's short story, "The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street" from a small paperback, now long lost to me, but which is available in RTF, and what I recall most is how susceptible the people were to suggestion that the people themselves were the enemy.

To get the people panic was what Bin-Laden and the "monsters" have in common as a goal. Alas, all too many have gone for the bait.