I was sleeping on the couch in the room of the flat I was sharing, and someone woke me up to inform me of it, and I believe my response was "Are they attacking here in Central Oregon?  No?  then let me go back to sleep."

My attempts to return to slumber soon failed however, as a legion of random friends and friends of friends all seemed to gather on the apartment, and soon there was far too much commotion and activity to sleep.

When I was finally conscious enough to see what all the commotion was about, there was definitely a certain sense of "Whoah" to the whole thing, and I think I called up my mum to tell her about it because I figured she probably would've missed it.

My attitude on it, and still is, that the single best response to the situation was simply to go on about one's business the way one always does.  Giving into fear and paranoia, letting the event define you, was just giving the terrorists what they wanted.  

But even on that very day, as the response to the event poured out, I became increasingly angry over the whole thing, as basically, the entire nation proceeded to do the exact opposite.  9/11 went from a date to a buzzword.  Politicians, corporations, every one it seemed, used it as an excuse for anything and everything.  They gave speeches about how "this changed everything".   Paranoia and blind patriotism consumed the national mindset.  Our own liberties came under attack under the guise of our own so-called "national security".

And all of it, at every level, seemingly totally clueless as to the fact that this is exactly the kind of response the attack was meant to invoke.  

I don't remember 9/11 so much for the event itself.  I remember it as the day the United States surrendered to terrorists.  The "War on Terror" was lost in it's very declaration.

Quote from: J Arcane;248867I don't remember 9/11 so much for the event itself.  I remember it as the day the United States surrendered to terrorists.  The "War on Terror" was lost in it's very declaration.

Yep. Al-Qaeda people must be very very satisfied with the outcome in the long term.

Quote from: Imperator;248870Yep. Al-Qaeda people must be very very satisfied with the outcome in the long term.

Except that the long term outcome has yet to be written. Are they happy now? Were they happy two years ago? Will they be happy two years from now?

Thirty years hence, the historians will be the only ones who get the next ten years (and the last ten for that matter), writing safely from rear view mirror.

Quote from: James J Skach;248952Except that the long term outcome has yet to be written. Are they happy now? Were they happy two years ago? Will they be happy two years from now?

Thirty years hence, the historians will be the only ones who get the next ten years (and the last ten for that matter), writing safely from rear view mirror.

Oh, I agree, of course, but given my short term perspective, I would say that the operation was a complete success for them: they wanted to terrorize the US, and they definitely succeeded. Many liberties have been taken from the citizens, the government has made a concentration camp which is an international shame, the US image has been severely damaged, and the economy is basically devoted to paying the war expenses, with the services to citizens suffering for that. Travelling has become more difficult, and every time you go to an airport they remind you that we live in fear.

And at a really cheap cost. I think that we can call that a success, at least in the short term. Maybe the most successful terrorist op in history.