tp56.xml
Title
tp56.xml
Source
born-digital
Media Type
story
Date Entered
2003-02-24
TomPaine Story: Story
The Editors;
September 11th, 2001 spawned many changes. From the cushion of the past 20 years, we can see how that day's events rippled through the United States, and then the rest of the world. Almost imediately following the terrorist attacks, the US abdicated its role as leader of the free world. America slipped, surprisingly quickly, into a sad despotic shadow of its former self.
Now, in 2021, it is hard to believe that the US was once a stalwart defender of the rule of law. Or that it was governed by popularly elected leaders dedicated (more or less) to defending the ideals of their constitutional forefathers. No longer.
After 9/11/01 the now vilified Bush Adminstration set about constricting individual freedoms of American citizens under the guise of strengthening national security. The Bush definition of ""national security"" quickly expanded from denying legal rights and illegally imprisoning suspected terrorists to a wide range of oppressive actions. Most Americans were told to accept these actions as neccessary for victory in the War on Terrorism. And most Americans did.
Mass consolidation of media outlets helped stifle the occasional outcry. Well paid pundits mocked dissenters, while government agencies developed strategies for punishing those who weren't ""on board"" with the Adminstration's programs. Americans learned to obey their leaders' orders unquestioningly. At the same time, the public was forced to shoulder more of the debt burden of the nation themselves, as corporate and business interests were relieved of their tax responsibility in the name of ""competitiveness"".
America became unrecognizable in a few short years. And 20 years later, the world has become a safer, cleaner, happier place. Cause and effect?
September 11th, 2001 spawned many changes. From the cushion of the past 20 years, we can see how that day's events rippled through the United States, and then the rest of the world. Almost imediately following the terrorist attacks, the US abdicated its role as leader of the free world. America slipped, surprisingly quickly, into a sad despotic shadow of its former self.
Now, in 2021, it is hard to believe that the US was once a stalwart defender of the rule of law. Or that it was governed by popularly elected leaders dedicated (more or less) to defending the ideals of their constitutional forefathers. No longer.
After 9/11/01 the now vilified Bush Adminstration set about constricting individual freedoms of American citizens under the guise of strengthening national security. The Bush definition of ""national security"" quickly expanded from denying legal rights and illegally imprisoning suspected terrorists to a wide range of oppressive actions. Most Americans were told to accept these actions as neccessary for victory in the War on Terrorism. And most Americans did.
Mass consolidation of media outlets helped stifle the occasional outcry. Well paid pundits mocked dissenters, while government agencies developed strategies for punishing those who weren't ""on board"" with the Adminstration's programs. Americans learned to obey their leaders' orders unquestioningly. At the same time, the public was forced to shoulder more of the debt burden of the nation themselves, as corporate and business interests were relieved of their tax responsibility in the name of ""competitiveness"".
America became unrecognizable in a few short years. And 20 years later, the world has become a safer, cleaner, happier place. Cause and effect?
Collection
Citation
“tp56.xml,” September 11 Digital Archive, accessed November 4, 2024, https://911digitalarchive.org/items/show/745.