September 11 and the Emergence of Homeland Security
On the morning of September 11, 2001 America was struck at its very heart, when terrorist attacked the World Trade Center and Pentagon. ... There was no reason for a civilian nation in peacetime to be prepared for an event like 9-11. Perhaps for this reason, America can no longer be a purely civilian nation, instead focusing on issues of defense and homeland security. ... Immediately after 9/11, America took an unprecedented course of action in Afghanistan by deposing the Taliban government that was harboring terrorists. ... While military and intelligence agents hunt down terrorists overseas, our leaders have the task of protecting our homeland. President Bush last week signed into law the long awaited bill to create the Department of Homeland Security, which will combine 22 separate federal agencies to protect the United States from terrorism. ... It is hard to identify one way in which my life as an American citizen has changed since 9-11.