CONTINUING THE 9-11 THEME AND AS WE APPROACH THE 15TH ANNIVERSARY BELOW ARE SOME THINGS THAT SINGLE DAY CHANGED FOR THE UNITED STATES….
AND THE WORLD ALIKE.
If you remember back, Sept. 10, 2001 the United States wasn’t officially engaged in any wars. Few of us had ever heard of al-Qaeda or Osama bin Laden, and ISIS didn’t exist. We deported half the number of people we do today. Our surveillance state was a fraction of its current size. And — maybe hardest to believe — you didn’t have to take your shoes off at the airport.
America’s involvement in the War on Terror — prompted by the 9/11 terrorist attacks — resulted in changing attitudes and concerns about safety and vigilance. It ushered in a new generation of policies like the USA Patriot Act that prioritized national security and defense, often at the expense of civil liberties. These changes had ripple effects across the globe, particularly in the Middle East.
Military Less than a month after 9/11, U.S. troops invaded Afghanistan in an attempt to dismantle al-Qaeda, the terrorist group that claimed responsibility for the attacks, and remove the Taliban government. Two years later, in March 2003, the United States invaded Iraq and deposed President Saddam Hussein. Although not directly linked to the terrorist attacks, Hussein was suspected of producing weapons of mass destruction and the invasion was a key part of America’s newly launched War on Terror.
After 9/11, budgets for defense-related agencies sky-rocketed: Homeland Security’s discretionary budget jumped from about $16 billion to more than $43 billion and the budgets of the Coast Guard, Transportation Security Administration and Border Patrol have all more than doubled since 2001.
Immigration With the goal of strengthening border security, the U.S. created the Department of Homeland Security in 2002, a cabinet-level office that merged 22 government agencies. The Immigration and Naturalization Service and the US Customs Service — both formerly part of the Department of Justice — were consolidated into the newly formed U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The agency has overseen a massive increase in deportations, which have nearly doubled since 9/11.
The Friendly Skies Long airport lines, full body scans, the occasional pat-down (for the lucky ones). It’s all par for the course, nowadays, for air travel. But not so long ago, it wasn’t unusual to show up at the airport a half-hour before a domestic flight, keep your shoes tied tight, and skip through the metal detector while sipping a Big Gulp, all without ever having to show an ID.
Before the advent of color-coded security threat warnings, pat downs were very uncommon, liquid was allowed, and the notion of having to go through full-body scanners was the stuff of science fiction. Heck, prior to 9/11, some airport security teams even allowed passengers to take any knife with a blade up to four inches long on board…. And cigarette lighters? No problem!
In the wake of the terrorist attacks, airport security underwent a series of major overhauls and a service that was once largely provided by private companies is now overseen by the Transportation Security Administration.
Surveillance The U.S. intelligence state boomed in the wake of 9/11. The growth resulted in a marked increase in what some have called a government intrusion, primarily through a vast network of phone and web surveillance. A few years back, classified documents leaked by former government contractor Edward Snowden (“Snowden” an upcoming political thriller directed by Oliver Stone ; release date of September 16, 2016) detail the expansion of a colossus surveillance state that has seeped into the lives of millions of Americans.
It is amazing to see how one day in our lives has made such an impact. The Impacts that were once seen as dramatic, have now become commonplace.
So as we approach the anniversary, please be sure to take a few moments and truly remember the events of 9/11 and how they affected your life, your family, the lives of our military families, the families of victims that day and the days after.
WE WILL ALWAYS HAVE DIFFERENCES IN OPINIONS, BELIEFS, AND LIFESTYLES… HOWEVER, WE STILL HAVE THE FORTUNATE OPPORTUNITY TO LIVE IN THE GREATEST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD.
LET US NOT FORGET THOSE WHO SERVE, HAVE SERVED, AND THOSE WHO HAVE DIED TO PROTECT AND PRESERVE OUR RIGHTS TO BE AMERICANS!
** Disclaimer** The information included is not meant to spur any political beliefs or push opinions of the author, it is purely informational.
