The terrorists won, thanks to our help.

“Never forget.” That’s what they are saying today. To be frank, I don’t think a single person who had attained consciousness and self awareness by 9/11/01 will ever forget that day. I won’t. But rather than go into the usual diatribes on where I was or any of that drivel, I wish to focus not just on how they in fact have won, but how they were aided by those claiming to protect us.

Terrorism isn’t blowing up a building. It’s not gassing a subway, shooting up a school. No, terrorism is about fear. The terrorists blow up a building, and now you fear being in tall buildings. They gas the subway, you start taking the bus. They shoot up a school, you start homeschooling your kids. It isn’t the death, it’s the fear, upsetting the status quo for the negative.

Shortly after the towers fell, then President George W Bush spoke to the nation about the importance of returning to normal. This would have been the best course of action. A return to normal shows a lack of intimidation and fear.

But we didn’t. Instead, a terrorist alert system was set up, constantly reminding us we could be blown up any minute. People were no longer permitted into airport terminals unless they were flying, since apparently only terrorists want to go past the gates to see their family off. Searches became more thorough and time consuming, though no more effective; serving only to remind you that someone out there wants to blow up your plane. The news became full of every little perceived threat; light brights with the moonanites became “hoax bombs.” The government and the media made active efforts to keep the population in fear.

On top of that, rights were taken away in the form of the Patriot Act. An unending “War on Terror” was started, leading us into places such as Iraq with no connections to the attacks. Eventually, we managed to reach a point where the was is almost indistinguishable from a Holy War on Islam; a war which has become a much more effective recruiting tool for terrorists than any propaganda the actual terrorists could have spread.

So on this day, the ninth anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks, while honoring those innocents who lost their lives that day, take time to remember just how far we’ve fallen at the hands of the true terrorists; not the ones who brought down the towers, but the ones who each and every day perpetuate fear.

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