To be honest with you, I don't really want to write this post, but in a round-about way, that's the reason why I should write this post. Ten years ago, we were attacked by 18 guys armed with box cutters, who commandeered airplanes and flew them into the World Trade Center. In the intervening years, we've seen the U.S. Government openly commit war crimes (torture of terror suspects*), invade Iraq for no reason, and finally, under Obama, see the U.S. engage in dismantling Al Qaeda.
On a personal note, 9-11 was a very scary day for me. My aunt works for New York City and worked out of the World Trade Center. We spent most of the day trying to find her, and thankfully, she was not in either Tower when the planes hit. I also had to find my friend and old college roommate, Dave Kirkpatrick, who dubbed me "Phat Jim," my cousin Suzanne, and luckily, everyone was safe. Still, it was a close call, and scared us all.
But what has changed since 9-11? To be honest, I don't think it changed much outside of the tri-state area. Yes, airplane travel became a bigger pain than it was before, but my life hasn't changed as a result of 9-11. And I think that's more of a survival mechanism for people in general. We live our lives the best we can, and try not to get bogged down in the details. Do I know more about Islam than I normally would? Yes, but the whole line that "9-11 changed everything" is total and complete bullshit from anyone who didn't lose someone (or come real close to losing someone) on that day. Everyone else have moved on.
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