The American people were outraged, terribly frightened, and confused. Vengeance must be had in the peoples minds and nothing should be held as a higher priority. The top leaders of the country sensed the emotions of the people and knew that those emotions had opened up doors that had been locked tightly ever since the birth of the United States. Retaliation was the first measure to be taken and the people would support it wholeheartedly. Terror was waged to war and with that the nations leaders had positioned themselves to manipulate the peoples strong feelings; boundaries could now be crossed without the nations disapproval, anyone who did disapprove were thought of as traitors, supporters of those who attacked the nation, terrorist. The events of September 11th had essentially handed the government a pass to act as they pleased along with a credit card with a spending limit as high as China could provide. This war on terror became a unjustifiable fight with the goal of making certain gains, the least of which being a major decline in global terror.
War wasn’t the only tool that top American officials used to work on the emotions of the American people. National security was also a gateway leading into uncharted territory. The people’s fear which could be pleased with the promise of safety from a repeat of the events of September 11th offered perhaps even more of an opportunity for manipulation than their anger. The U.S. President, George W. Bush has defined terrorism to the American people on several occasions; a tactic of putting fear into a community and using that fear to take actions without interference (not word for word but the exact explanation/definition he gives). And just as he defined it is just what he has done here in America, immediately after the attack on America he began speaking to the people about the immediate danger presented by terrorist, the drastic need to improve national security, the promise that he would protect the people and the U.S., the request for the people’s trust in his actions without explanation. He saw the peoples fear after the attacks and he knew this fear was an opportunity so he fueled it even more. With the people of the nation in such fear they invited any measure to be taken that had the promise of offering security, they didn’t question in what manner it did so or how it may effect them or even its legality. With such disregard from the people limitations that had been woven into the very fabric of the U.S. which meant to protect the people themselves were no longer of importance. Laws could be and were passed that decimated such limitations and for the promise of safety peoples freedom and privacy were compromised.
As all of this happened the American people for the most part sat back and watched. I believe most people had the sense that something was amiss but they hesitated to admit it. Maybe for fear of being seen as a traitor, maybe for reluctance to accept that their government, the government of a nation they loved could be using them and doing wrong. Whatever the cause, that reluctance and hesitation has lead to the deaths of American soldiers, the deaths of tens of thousands of innocent civilians in another country, the diminishment of the protection given to the people by the U.S. constitution, the protection of our freedom which we once held so dear.


































