9/11

On September 11^th, 2001 the terrorist group Al Qaeda led by Osama bin Laden launched an attack against the United States and its citizens.  They terrorists hijacked four American airplanes mid-flight  they flew two of the planes into the World Trade Center in New York City, another into the Pentagon which is the headquarters of our military in Arlington VA destroying a section of the building, the fourth and final plane crashed into a field in Pennsylvania. The impact of the crash on the World Trade Center resulted in it catching fire and eventually collapsing. Officials believe that the passengers on board fought the terrorists which prevented them from achieving their final mission and that their target was either the White House or the United States Capitol. Almost 3000 people lost their lives in the 9/11 attacks. President George Bush implemented the Global War on Terrorism in the aftermath of the attacks. Security at public buildings, military installations around the globe and at airports was tightened, and the “Department of Homeland security and the National Counter Terrorism Center” (The World after 9/11) was created. The US government started increasing its military operations and started pressing those groups it believed to be associated with terrorist activities or accused of sheltering them. The US invaded Afghanistan with the aim of removing any members of the Taliban regime whom they believed were harboring Al Qaeda in an attempt of capturing bin Laden and his co-conspirators. Today many members of AL Qaeda has been captured or killed and on May 11, 2011 members of the US Navy seal killed bin Laden while he was in hiding in Pakistan.

After the attacks many US citizens joined together to help the families of the victims, many paid tribute to the brave firefighters and policemen who risked their lives trying to save those in the rubble. There was a surge in patriotism marked by displays of the flag, tributes to the victims and some went so far as to sign up for and join the military. For many enlisting in the military was their way of giving back to their country, they wanted to fight for and defend our nations freedom. For them it was a chance to give something back to their country for the freedom it’s allowed them to have, and they considered it an honor to serve. To them the flag was a symbol of its people, not its government and they wanted to help defend against those who were willing to do anything to destroy our way of life. Post 9/11 our leaders has become more diligent. We now have a security infrastructure aimed foreseeing and thwarting future attacks. The Department of Homeland Security and the National Counter-terrorism Center was created to better share intelligence between the intelligence community, and other agencies around the world. The events of September 11 have led to more improved security in our airports, military installations, embassies’, etc., both home and abroad. America has had the ability to disrupt the core of the Al Qaeda network; it has captured and killed many of its top officials including their leader Bin Laden. People today are more aware of their surroundings, we now have trained officials on board our airplanes to prevent and detain those who acting suspiciously.

In the weeks after the attacks, many people of Middle Eastern descent became the victims of hate crimes and harassment from both the government and the public. These people were picked on by the people arrested and detained for questioned by our government. Many believe that the terrorist attack of September 11^th was used as a way to justify the Iraqi war. They believe conservatives poisoned the memory of 9/11 and instead of unifying the nation, members of our government raced to cash in on the tragedy. They believe that the war in Iraq was uncalled for and had nothing to do with 9/11. They view the new security measures as a way to molest citizens at airports, to torture prisoners and to bankrupt the nation. The article The World After 9 /11 tells us that, “Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib are 9/11’s legacy and will forever tarnish America”. These prisons are used by our government as a way to torture those we view as the enemy. Opposition of the Patriot Act views it as a violation of the rights to privacy, and is against any government that would infringe on the rights of its people.

As a result of 9/11 we now have a lot more safety measures in place. Law enforcement and other intelligence agencies now have few restrictions placed on them when it comes to investigation terrorist activities due to the Patriot act they can freely access peoples computers, financial records, phone conversations, etc. and they can detain anyone suspected of suspicions activities related to terrorism. With a coalition f allies around the world, we are now fighting the war on a larger scale not just on the ground, we’re using our economical, diplomatic, political and financial power. Dana Priest of the article The top secret America created after Sept. 11 tells us that: “there are 51 federal organizations and military commands, she says, that track the flow of money to and from terrorist networks”. With the aim of other government agencies these men and women track and freeze the accounts of these terror networks, in some cases crippling their network. We've eliminated Bin Laden and are monitoring those countries that have the capability of developing weapons of mass destruction. To better understand the dangers we face policies have been put in place aimed at identifying area in our security venerable to weaknesses, mistakes and/or oversights. Our emergency response systems are now better equipped to mitigate the consequence of future attacks. Immigration is working on ways to make it more difficult for terrorists to gain entry into the US, and also on ways to identify potential dangers at our airports, ports, etc. 

Many view the killing of Osama by our troops as a symbol of hope in the war on terror. In the article Killing Bin Laden: what it means for the war on terrorism, David Von Drehle tells us that, “People had begun to doubt whether American power was truly power; and to ask whether its day was past”.  People were beginning to question the progress and purpose off the war and learning that bin Laden was finally dead gave them sense of relief that the mastermind of terror could no longer hurt them, it didn’t matter that others would spring up in his place, to them he was the face of the attacks and finally he was punished for his actions.

Yes, I think that we are safer today than before the attacks but I’m also know that that does not mean that another attack cannot occur sometime in the future. Given how determined our enemies are securing our nation against terror is a top priority. As a nation we will never be truly safe but we can continue to be vigilant. Although the US has been successful in foiling the plans of our enemies

Facts:

•  "Forty two terrorist attacks have been thwarted since the events of 9/11 (Patriot Act Debate: Ron Paul vs. Gingrich
• “People had begun to doubt whether American power was truly power; and to ask whether its day was past” (Killing Bin Laden: what it means for the war on terrorism)
• “There are 51 federal organizations and military commands, she says, that track the flow of money to and from terrorist networks (The top secret America created after Sept. 11)
• “Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib are 9/11’s legacy and will forever tarnish America” (The world after 9/11)
• The Department of Homeland security and the National Counter Terrorism Center was created in response to 9/11 (The World after 9/11)