September 11, 2011
Hilliard
Memorial
RE: 9/11
Assignment
Cole
Linville - 8th Grade Hilliard Memorial M.S.
To
Whom it May Concern:
I
am told this essay is supposed to be about how America has changed
since 9/11. The short answer is that it certainly has changed.
The changes are sometimes hard to see and sometimes, obvious.
The
best way to describe the changes, in my opinion, is that prior to
9/11, the United States mainland had not been physically attacked by
an outside enemy since the 1800's. WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam,
Lebanon, Kuwait, Iraq...these are all areas where US citizens have
been killed, but they all occurred far away. The 9/11 attacks
happened in our homeland, in New York, Washington DC and
Pennsylvania. This is why 9/11 changed America so profoundly.
One
example of this change is the way we travel. TSA agents “patting
down” passengers, taking off your shoes in a airport, not being
allowed to wait at a gate unless you are a passenger, and bringing
only 4 ounces of liquid on plane are all habits that didn't exist
prior to 9/11.
Our
laws have changed dramatically, as well, affecting civil liberties
that are guaranteed to us by the Constitution. Police agencies have
much broader authority to stop and question and search civilians.
Many political prisoners no longer have a right to a speedy trial,
right to have charges read to them, rights to an attorney. Some
prisoners have been tortured during government sanctioned
interrogations. These are mostly unintended consequences, but many
come directly from choices our government has made in the aftermath
of 9/11.
Lastly,
war is seemingly a constant since 9/11. Prior to 9/11 there was
rarely a war in my lifetime, now there are long wars on multiple
fronts.. The War on Terror has taken a turn, in my opinion, from a
mission to stop terrorist organizations, to a political no-win gambit
to enforce American ideas and practices on foreign cultures.
However, recent events akin to the tearing down of the Berlin Wall in
Egypt, Libya, Syria and other middle eastern countries show that
their world is changing and the people of those countries are ready
for a change. Perhaps they are motivated in some ways by changing
world attitudes since 9/11.
One
thing that hasn't changed is the American spirit. While we were
shocked by the events of 9/11, we have eventually rebuilt. A
newsman stated that America is a nation of builders, not destroyers.
I believe that. Another stated, Americans do not live in fear,
Americans live in freedom. That's a good message on which to end.
Sincerely,
J.
Bradford Linville
