September+11+Attacks+and+the+War+on+Terror

The September 11th Attacks
Within months of George W. Bush taking office, the American spirit was shaken by horrible tragedy. On September 11, 2001, planes hijacked by terrorists crashed into the towers of the World Trade Center, Pentagon, and a field in Pennsylvania (missing its intended target,) bringing the loss of thousands of lives. After the planes collided with the towers of the World Trade Center, the buildings collapsed, accounting for many of the deaths and covering the neighboring areas with dust and debris. When the dust cleared, the full scope of the damage could be seen. The extreme damage and horrible loss of lives shocked the American public. President Bush, visiting a school at the time of the attacks, delivered a speech reacting to the attacks later that day. In his speech, Bush stated that buildings may have been damaged and lives lost, but the attackers could not damage the spirit of the United States. Bush assured Americans:

“The search is underway for those who were behind these evil acts. I have directed the full resources of our intelligence and law enforcement communities to find those responsible and to bring them to justice. We will make no distinction between the terrorists who committed these acts and those who harbor them” (“George W. Bush 9/11 Address to the Nation).

Bush fulfilled his promise when it was discovered that Osama bin Laden, a prime suspect in the attacks, was likely hiding in Afghanistan under the protection of the Taliban.

Initial Reaction
The Taliban refused to help the American government find bin Laden and other members of the Al Qaeda terrorist network. This led US air strikes on targeted areas within Afghanistan. Troops were also deployed to Afghanistan as well; however, bin Laden has yet to be found, though more troops have entered the country as of 2009. Tapes of his threats and comments have occasionally been released, but the man himself continues to elude his suitors. Other measures were taken to prevent further attacks on America as well. Possible chemical and biological weapons attacks had proven to be a relative weakness for America and required attention. But perhaps one of the most important pieces of the new defense has been the controversial Patriot Act.

[[image:Afghanistan.jpg width="258" height="235" align="center"]] The Patriot Act
The Patriot Act was signed into law as a result of the September 11 attacks. The act increased the power of government intelligence in regards to searches of homes, etc. to prevent future terror attacks. The act was controversial because it allowed the government increased wiretapping abilities and to search homes before alerting the suspect of the search. The act also allowed the government to spy on US citizens to gather intelligence on them without notification. There had been many claims that these provisions make the act unconstitutional because of the need for warrants in searches, etc. Because of the extent of power given to government intelligence agencies, some feel that the bill may be a threat to privacy. However, others approve of the measures because of their potential value in finding terrorists before an attack occurs.