This summer several superhero movies hit the big screen, and I’ve sat with hundreds of folks who’ve packed theaters to watch them.

The films have included “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull,” “Hellboy II: The Golden Army,” “Hancock,” “Iron Man,” “The Incredible Hulk” and “The Dark Knight.” They are mindless action and adventure – adult cartoons with real people pulled from comic books onto cinema for diversion and enjoyment.

But on reflection, I see Hollywood’s heroism in overdrive is actually a lot more. On the seventh anniversary of the Sept. 11 disaster, it’s clear that the country clamors for superheroes – ones who can fly and relieve everyone’s anxieties. These marvels would reassure us that despite the terrorist attacks, wars and bad economy everything will turn out OK.

But the continuing terrorist threats leave America a long way from feeling secure. People who have visited any airport lately can attest to it. Folks who have been in a government building know. The metal detectors are a giveaway as well as the searches and, sometimes, bomb-sniffing dogs.

The shakedown allegedly is to keep us safe because there are no superheroes to protect us.

The only one to protect us from tragedy is us. But our desire for a Hulk or a Hellboy to do good deeds and save us remains strong.

People want to believe, for instance, that the Patriot Act will serve as an Iron Man-like armor, shielding them from another terrorist assault.

They want to believe that maintaining the anger over the attacks will protect them like the Hulk’s green skin repels bullets.

They want to believe they now have security shields in the government’s warrantless wiretaps.

They want to think authorities are smart like Batman and able to outdo the wiliest foe.

But the protection is a fantasy, similar to the weapons of mass destruction that President Bush used as a reason to get the U.S. into a needless war in Iraq.

What’s real? The loss of everyone’s constitutional freedoms, a war in Afghanistan that is worsening because of resources being drained for the war in Iraq and a deteriorating U.S. economy and reputation abroad.

Unlike the Hollywood adult cartoons, the wars, the fear accompanying the endless terror threats and the security costs have bled away billions in tax dollars that are vitally needed to help people at home.

The bleeding also has occurred in the thousands of U.S. military personnel killed and wounded. It is seen in the many more service people who have returned home with invisible injuries such as post-traumatic stress syndrome and brain injuries. Although our soldiers are better trained and armed than any previous U.S. fighting force, servicemen and women are not as shielded as Iron Man.

The superheroes are the families, businesses, local governments and agencies at home who quietly suffer from taking in and trying to repair the young people who’ve been damaged since Sept. 11.

They are the ones who deserve the medals, the accolades, the applause and the movies. That is a show that I also would line up to see.