In the United States, today is the 11th anniversary of “9/11,” an event that drastically changed life in the US but had far-reaching consequences around the globe.
Most of us vividly remember the day when 19 hijackers took control of 4 planes and crashed 3 of them into the Twin Towers in New York City and the US Pentagon. The 4th plane was destined for the US Capitol Building, but passengers attempted to take control of the plane away from the hijackers, and it crashed in a field in Pennsylvania.
The attacks were immediately blamed on the anti-American Muslim terrorist group al-Qaeda. Its leader, Osama bin Laden, uncharacteristically took over 3 years to officially accept credit for the attack, and, perhaps conveniently, did so just days before the election day that would hand incumbent George W. Bush his 2nd term as the US president.
Following the 9/11 attacks, the US government quickly began enacting and amending laws, creating a new cabinet-level department (Department of Homeland Security), and establishing a new federal organization (Transportation Security Administration(TSA)) to take over the security of the nation’s transportation systems.
And this is when the ghosts of the Founding Fathers wept.
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When Governments Abuse Fear
Most of us vividly remember the day when 19 hijackers took control of 4 planes and crashed 3 of them into the Twin Towers in New York City and the US Pentagon. The 4th plane was destined for the US Capitol Building, but passengers attempted to take control of the plane away from the hijackers, and it crashed in a field in Pennsylvania.
The attacks were immediately blamed on the anti-American Muslim terrorist group al-Qaeda. Its leader, Osama bin Laden, uncharacteristically took over 3 years to officially accept credit for the attack, and, perhaps conveniently, did so just days before the election day that would hand incumbent George W. Bush his 2nd term as the US president.
Following the 9/11 attacks, the US government quickly began enacting and amending laws, creating a new cabinet-level department (Department of Homeland Security), and establishing a new federal organization (Transportation Security Administration(TSA)) to take over the security of the nation’s transportation systems.
And this is when the ghosts of the Founding Fathers wept.
Read more