Privacy in the War Against Terror
At 8:19 A.M. on September 11, 2001, flight attendants aboard Flight 11, a Boeing 767, alerted ground personnel that the flight had been hijacked. American Airlines quickly alerted the FBI; there were 92 people aboard. This was only the beginning of what is now known as 9/11, one of the most extreme terrorist attacks not only in the USA, but in the world. In total, that day, there were 4 planes hijacked by men associated with the Islamic extremist group, Al Qaeda. One of these planes crashed into a field in Pennsylvania, one crashed into the Pentagon, and the final two planes crashed in the Twin Towers in New York City. Around 10,000 people were injured and over 3,000 people were killed as a result of these vicious attacks; this day has gone down in history as one of the most devastating events America has ever experienced.
Since 9/11, Boston, Paris, France, Brussels, Belgium, Seaside Park, Chelsea and other places around the world have also become victims of terrorist attacks. On April 15, 2013, two bombs exploded near the finish line at the annual Boston Marathon. This attack killed three spectators and injured more than 260 people. On the night of November 13, 2015, bombs went off all across Paris, France and killed 130 people, and injured hundreds more.
Not much later, on March 22 of 2016, an act of terrorism occurred in Brussels, Belgium. The city was becoming “a fertile recruiting ground for jihadi fighters,” months before the attacks, according to CNN. As the pressure became more intense, the security forces and efforts to catch people behind the previous terrorist attacks in Paris also rose. For some time before the actual attacks, Brussels citizens were living in fear, until their nightmares became a reality. On the 22nd, suicide bombers entered the crowded Brussels Airport, during rush hour; the bombs that went off killed many and injured over 300 people.
At a certain point, the government can only take so much of our privacy in order to assure us security.
On September 17, 2016, on the course of the Semper Five charity 5K in Seaside park, New Jersey, a pipe bomb went off; fortunately, nobody was injured. On the same day, bombs went off in Chelsea, New York; 31 people were injured, and by the next day, all of those who had been admitted into hospitals were released. Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a news conferences, “We have every reason to believe this was an act of terror.” The man suspected of responsibility for both the Jersey and NYC bombings, Ahmad Khan Rahami, was taken into custody on Monday after a shootout with law enforcement officers in Linden, New Jersey. He has now been charged with multiple accounts of attempted murder of law enforcement officers, second degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and second degree unlawful possession of a weapon; his bail has been set at 5.2 million dollars.
Rahami was born in Afghanistan but is a naturalized US citizen. As for his motives, is is said that an extremist Islamic ideology motivated Rahami, along with admiration for Osama bin Laden and other extremists. Infact, his father reported that he suspected his son was “involved with terrorism;” this was reported in 2014. This report prompted federal agents to investigate Rahami; however, his case was closed shortly after. We may now ask, why was this case closed and this man allowed to live freely, in this country, even though there was proof of his future intentions to harm American citizens?
Whatever privacy you think you may have, think again; the US government is recording every text message, social media post, email and phone call you make. There is no such thing as “privacy” anymore. If somebody were to even joke, threatening the US in any way, this person is going to be listed as a potential threat. With this in mind, there are millions of people, US citizens and noncitizens, who are marked as threats each year. Rahami, for example was one of these people; however, if there isn’t viable evidence of a crime, these people aren’t going to be arrested, after all this is a “free” country, isn’t it?
At a certain point, the government can only take so much of our privacy in order to assure us security. In order to provide 100 percent security, the government would be depriving US citizens of their freedom, the basis of what this country is built on. We, as a country, have thrown ourselves into a vicious cycle; if we were to stop “terrorizing” other countries, would they stop? I believe the answer is no. If terrorist groups were to stop terrorizing us, would we stop? I believe the answer is no. At this point it isn’t a matter of ending terrorism, it is a matter of controlling it, limiting it as much as a possible. It is hard to defend ourselves against people who are willing to die to prove a great point.
Is terrorism something we must become accustomed to? Seemingly, it is no longer a matter of whether there will be a terrorist attack, but a matter of when. President Bush said on 9/11, “The enemy of America is not our many Muslim friends. It is not our many Arab friends. Our enemy is a radical network of terrorists and every government who supports them. Our war on terror begins with al Qaeda, but it does not end there. It will not end until every terrorist group of global reach has been found, stopped, and defeated.” This is war, and we, as a community, as a country, will keep fighting.