For those of us who remember what it was like living in a pre-911 America however, this only symbolizes the end of the beginning of the end. It is often said that "we can't go back to what the world was like before September 11th, 2001" and unfortunately I agree, though for not the same tired cliche notions that are bandied about by the flag waving mouth-breathers that are the "heart" of this country. This death sentence is a self-imposed one, and there is no appeal.
A decade is a long time. We have had almost an entire generation move from childhood to adulthood in that time being indoctrinated into believing that they need to be afraid of boogeymen in the night that hate us for our "freedom". These people will never know what it was like to live in an environment where dying in a plane crash due to pilot error was (and still is) far more likely (1000s of times more likely, in fact) than dying in a plane crash due to terrorist attack. In talking with the younger generation (and even my cohorts) about their fears regarding terrorism, it is apparent that sensationalism takes the front seat and objectivity takes the back seat (♪Which one should I take?♪) And NOT just on Friday. Facts and statistics get pushed to the side in lieu of pathos-based inclinations, and to be honest, looking at the state of propaganda in this country, it's hard to blame them.
I'm going to be up front about this, I was too young to remember the propaganda of the cold war. I wasn't even born until it was winding down. I imagine that the rhetoric was largely the same. However, with the new boogeyman, the stakes have been raised and I fear, that the infrastructure put in place in the last 10 years using Bin Laden as the justification will never be reversed.
THE TSA
The TSA with their aggressive patdowns moved slowly enough that a frog/hot pot of water reference is certainly suitable here. Immediately after 9/11 the security gates were moved so that anyone that went into the gating area (where you board the plane) needed to be run through security. This, combined with enhanced security screening tactics resulted in long lines and all travelers needing to get to the airport HOURS ahead of time (whereas the status quo prior to this was as little as 15 minutes). While seemingly minor, this small change was the first inconvenience to be thrust upon the traveling public. It is my contention that this small psychological toll applied in a repeated and concerted manner upon the American public has led to us now being RAPE scanned and molested at every airport in the country (and coming soon to a train, bus, and sporting event near you). The TSA is most certainly not going away, even amidst a large backlash against these more recent developments. Videos where children are being molested by known sex offenders in uniform resound only with those that prioritize liberty above security (or the theatre thereof).
DHS
The Department of Homeland Security is the umbrella under which the TSA, INS and several other governmental organizations reside. I theorize that though we have not seen much day to day activity from the DHS in the last decade, that they will play a huge role in the next phase of the agenda of political elite. It is well-known in the political underground that FEMA (another part of DHS) has been contracting Halliburton to build mysterious empty prisons around the country for the last decade. In addition to this, the visibility of DHS has been increasing. DHS cars and presence at public events just started becoming commonplace within the last year. I would expect that much like the frog in the boiling water, the heat is going to be turned up on this soon. The term "police state" is used far too often, but it is hard to ignore when the federal government shows up at a midwest city's Christmas tree lighting ceremony.
WAR/Military/World Police
The Constitution is very clear that declaring war is the job of Congress, and that no act of war shall be committed without their consent. It is nothing new that the powers that be have disregarded this important premise. With the advent of the CIA, American leaders were able to exert their will throughout the world in a covert manner; overthrowing foreign leaders, inciting civil unrest and rebellion, assassinating world leaders and running drugs are just a few of the things that the CIA has been doing for the last 60 years. However, as bold as these actions are, they were all carried out within the shadows. Any agent caught carrying out these violations of international law were disavowed and left to face their own consequences if caught so as to preserve the (supposed) integrity of the United States. In the late 90s, actions taken in Somalia, Yugoslavia and Iraq all constituted as psued0-acts of war and were sanctioned (unofficially) by congress. Frog again. By the start of the new millenium, limited actions in Afghanistan (in response to 9/11) were authorized by congress. 10 years later, we are still in a war there. In 2003, in the face of governmental lies presented to the American public regarding a dire need to attack Iraq lest we be attacked first, Congress was once again coerced into approving an emergency measure to allow limited action in Iraq. 10 years later, though we are now allegedly pulling our troops out, we have army bases that are bigger than some cities strewn throughout the country, with no intention of emptying them. Actions in Pakistan, Yemen, and Libya without congressional authorization have all taken place in the ensuing years under Bush and Obama. The American public now accepts our role as world police, lest the "terrorists" get a foothold.
These actions and organizations cost the American taxpayer trillions of dollars over the last decade. Worse yet, they cost America its soul. We can no longer say we are land of the free and home of the brave. What is so free about a government official in uniform feeling up children? What is so brave about attacking someone because we're afraid they will attack us if we don't? We have reverted back to the playground and we are the ugly, overweight bully that if he didn't pick on other people, he'd get picked on.
Osama Bin Laden is dead. Forgive me if I don't jump for joy.
