Gene Healy on 9/11 and Its Legacy of Fear
Today marks the 11th anniversary of the Sept. 11th terrorist attacks. What, if anything, have we learned? In a Saturday statement, President Obama struck an upbeat note: "The legacy of 9/11," he said, is "the ability to say with confidence that no adversary and no act of terrorism can change who we are."
Who's he kidding? For ordinary schlubs who don't own their own planes, a trip to the airport provides less reason for optimism. Travelers shuffle shoeless through the security line, at the end of which government agents will either grope them or look at them naked. And despite his campaign trail promises to "set an example for the world that the law is not subject to the whims of stubborn rulers," writes Gene Healy, Obama has forged an expanded "Terror Presidency," with dangerous new powers for all future presidents to wield.
Hide Comments (0)
Editor's Note: As of February 29, 2024, commenting privileges on reason.com posts are limited to Reason Plus subscribers. Past commenters are grandfathered in for a temporary period. Subscribe here to preserve your ability to comment. Your Reason Plus subscription also gives you an ad-free version of reason.com, along with full access to the digital edition and archives of Reason magazine. We request that comments be civil and on-topic. We do not moderate or assume any responsibility for comments, which are owned by the readers who post them. Comments do not represent the views of reason.com or Reason Foundation. We reserve the right to delete any comment and ban commenters for any reason at any time. Comments may only be edited within 5 minutes of posting. Report abuses.
Please
to post commentsMute this user?
Ban this user?
Un-ban this user?
Nuke this user?
Un-nuke this user?
Flag this comment?
Un-flag this comment?