September 11, 2001 attacks

The Terrorist Attacks of September 11, 2001 occurred when al Qaeda-affiliated Islamic extremists hijacked four transcontinental airliners and used them to strike targets in the United States, succeeding in destroying the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City and a portion of the Pentagon in Washington, D.C.; the fourth aircraft, in which the hijackers are believed to have targeted the White House or the Capital Building, crashed into an empty field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania after passengers fought back to re-take control.

The sheer audacity of the attack and the heavy loss of life that resulted from it caused the Bush Administration to declare a war on terror with the determination to hunt down terrorists world-wide; within two months of September 11, Afghanistan was completely occupied by American forces, driving the ruling Taliban from power and causing the main suspect of the attacks, Osama bin Laden, to flee into hiding.

LOOK UP THE EVIDENCE YOURSELF NOT FROM REPUBLICAN LIES!!!!!!!

The suspects

Suspicion fell on Osama bin Laden and his al-Qaeda organization almost immediately. Known to have harbored hatred for the United States since the basing of U.S. fighters and other military personnel in Saudi Arabia during the first Gulf War, bin Laden has tried "To kill Americans and their allies — civilians and military — is an individual duty for every Muslim who can do it in any country in which it is possible to do it," , and often succeeding. In four previous attacks, bin Laden's operatives

• killed 6 in a bomb explosion in the first attack on the World Trade Center in 1993;
• killed 19 soldiers in 1996 at a military housing complex in Saudi Arabia;
• killed more than 200 people in the simultaneous bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania;
• killed 17 sailors by putting an explosives-laden boat next to USS Cole while that destroyer was refueling in Yemen in 2000.

His personal fortune, estimated in the hundreds of millions of dollars, has enabled him to finance well-coordinated operations, including the training of the hijackers in close-quarter fighting, commandeering of aircraft, and ironically to bankroll their education in American flight schools.

Social Impacts

Following the attacks there was a strong surge of patriotism in virtually all facets of American society. The government, being aware that the most deadly attack ever on American soil could stir up animosity against the ethnic or religious group of the perpetrators, went out of its way along with the media to separate Islam from the actions taken by its more radical adherents, referring to it at multiple times as a "religion of love". While people of Middle Eastern decent and adherents of Islam were concerned at first, the overall effect of hostility towards these groups was barely noticeable. Although there were literally millions of Muslims in America out of a total population of 300 million who could have sought out reprisals, in an entire year less than 500 cases of aggression of verbal hostility were reported.

Consequences of the Attacks on US Policy

Domestic Policy

The attacks were a direct or indirect cause of massive changes in United States domestic policy. Most notably, the Homeland Security Act of 2002 "established a Department of Homeland Security, as an executive department of the United States" , a cabinet level position. One of the tools implemented by the Department is the Homeland Security Advisory System, a color coded advisory system meant to "establish a comprehensive and effective means to disseminate information regarding the risk of terrorist acts to Federal, State, and local authorities and to the American people."

Another notable result of the attacks was the USA PATRIOT Act of 2001 (Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism). The act was written to expand the authority of law enforcement and the justice system in the pursuit of terrorism suspects.

Foreign Policy

In response to the attacks, the United States declared a War on Terror, which comprises United States military action in Afghanistan and Iraq as well as a significant increase in intelligence gathering and a new outlook on foreign relations.

Conspiracy Theories

Many conspiracy theories have sprouted up from the events of September 11, 2001, including the "Loose Change" movies seen on YouTube. These movies have not been disproven by experts . Prominent endorsers of such theories include talk show host Rosie O'Donnell as well as actor Charlie Sheen. A third of the American public has bought into the idea of some sort of role by federal officials. As well as 90% of New Yorkers who were actually there and saw the evidence.

Sources

• The 9/11 Commission Report
• Final Report on the Collapse of the World Trade Center Towers, NIST.
• September 11: Chronology of Terror at CNN.com
• Federal Bureau of Investigations PENTTBOM Press Release
• Lists of Victims at CNN.com

Additional Information

• The Internet Archive's file of ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, FOX, and BBC broadcasts for Sept 11-13, 2001
• Television Archive of news broadcasts for 9/11