On the morning of September 11th in 2001, the world as we knew it was shattered. The illusion of security was revealed for what it is: an illusion; and we realized – for the first time in more years than we could even recount – how vulnerable we really are. We witnessed the flaming descent of one of our most beloved and iconic structures, and in the smoldering remains we saw the countenance of something more terrible than any enemy we had ever known. We stared into the face of terrorism.
Unlike the visible, targetable enemies of wars past, terrorists are sneaky, covert, and difficult to take aim at. They hide among common citizens and use them as human shields to mask their alliances and hide their guilt. They spring up from a crowd of ordinary people, adding paranoia to the list of fears their workings instill in us. They are deceptive, manipulative opportunists who are capable of covering their tracks while they work patiently and relentlessly on their plot, waiting for just the right moment to strike.
As victims of terrorism, we become suspicious and uneasy. We allow our fears to control our decision-making, selling out our freedoms for the greater illusion of security, convinced that there is a perfect combination of laws and restrictions that will protect us from being victimized again. Like a quivering, defeated man inviting authorities to take residence in his home, hoping their presence will protect him but forfeiting his privacy, so we invited the FBI, the NSA, the DHS into our lives, turning over the only real security we had: our autonomy. So we could spy on one another, we allowed ourselves to be spied upon, sacrificing our freedom and giving license to a new kind of enemy – a domestic enemy.
Over the past 11 years, we have seen our government rise to a level of national control that is frightening and dangerous. While groups like FEMA construct nationwide systems of emergency response totalitarianism, others like the NSA are watching our every move, reading our every social post, and eaves-dropping on our every conversation. Our police forces have been trained in paramilitary-style tactics and suited with the corresponding weaponry. Even our military forces have received political license to treat us, American civilians, as aggressors.
Meanwhile, empowered by our desperate pleas for a more flawless illusion of security, our political structure has started stepping consciously toward overt fascism, using morality, security, and religion as excuses to control our voices, our bodies, and our thinking.
The political manipulations of the “Right,” which have caused the people of this nation economic, political, and personal suffering, have been justified as an acceptable strategy against a political opponent they have painted with their own crimes. Their failure to legislate effective solutions for the worsening problems we face have been excused as them building a campaign that will ensure their victory this November. Such a victory would guarantee them the political control necessary to further their agenda of exclusivity and entitlement. All of this only reaffirms that they have and will continue to put the people of this country (whom they are supposed to be serving) in the line of fire to safeguard their private initiatives and personal aspirations.
The extremists that have come to dominate more than half of our political incumbents use propaganda based on false morality, racism, fear, and hate, as well as disfranchisement, legislative manipulation, union busting, and the restriction of constitutionally protected civil liberties to extend control over the population. They have blasted us with false information and messages that are corrupting the unifying fabric of our nation, dividing us over everything from petty issues to human rights. They have used common human weaknesses, like the fear of the unknown and basic misunderstanding, to promote ignorance, disdain for one another, and miseducated, misguided attacks between people who would otherwise rally together against their growing oppression and its deeper motivations.
It would seem that such insidious political scheming, marked by flagrant abuses of power and pointed legislative assaults on our constitution, would quickly become the focus of a national counterattack. One would think that we, as a people, would come together to stop this political machine from their fast erosion of our liberties, our systems, and our nation. Instead, however, the vast majority is standing by idle or willfully participating in the tying of our own noose. Why? Because we are being controlled by fear, fear they have gone through great length to instill in us.
The dictionary definition of “terrorism” is “a state of fear or submission produced by the use of violence, the threat of intimidation, or coercion, especially for political purposes.”
The towers are gone, and the memorials are in place. The souls of the deceased have ascended to wherever it is they drift off to. The suffering we faced 11 years ago during those terrible events has been diminished to the familiar pangs of the significant losses of long ago. We, however, are greater victims now than we have ever been before, and the terrorists who are ruling our lives, hearts, and minds are hiding somewhere far more dangerous than the window seat. They are operating from The Hill.
Jill-Arcangela Mancuso 