What have we learned?
Every generation looks back on its own childhood as an idyllic time, but every childhood inevitably ends. The first wave of Baby Boomers, born after World War II and too young for the Korean War, saw their idyllic era come to an end with the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963, followed by the escalating Vietnam War and social strife that accompanied it. Millennials, my generation, remember the 1990s through the same rose-colored glasses. Our childhoods ended when the second plane hit the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.
The 90s were objectively a special time. The Cold War was over and the threat of nuclear annihilation was lifted from the Earth. Political debates centered on tax rates and welfare reform, and even Democratic President Bill Clinton said abortion should be “safe, legal, and rare.” Our government was producing the first budget surpluses in a generation. The internet was opening up a whole new world of possibilities, Hollywood was producing blockbuster after blockbuster, and Michael Jordan, Mark McGwire, and John Elway were thrilling sports fans across the country. It seemed like America had crested a hill after a long, tough climb and was set for unparalleled prosperity for the foreseeable future.
Then the second plane hit the World Trade Center.
In the weeks, months, and years following 9/11, the United States tried to adapt to a brave new world. We launched invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, meant to destroy the terrorists who planned the attacks and prevent anyone else from ever having the power to carry out another. The Global War on Terror spread to other Middle Eastern and African nations, drawing America into conflicts in Syria, Somalia, Yemen, Libya, and many other faraway places. A new system of airport security was created, leading to absurd situations like having to throw out juice bottles before boarding an airplane. Government security services were reorganized into the Department of Homeland Security, while the USA PATRIOT Act was passed to enable better interagency cooperation, but was later revealed by Edward Snowden to justify warrantless spying on American citizens.
What didn’t happen following 9/11 is almost as important as what did. The United States did not take a hard stance against Islam, nor did we restrict immigration. In fact, we did the opposite. President George W. Bush went to a mosque and called Islam a “religion of peace.” More migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers from Islamic countries came to America in the years following 9/11 than in the years prior. Left-wing news outlets became more concerned with “Islamophobia” than with the still-present threat of Islamic terrorism. Today, a Muslim socialist is mayor of New York City, while Democratic influencers such as Hasan Piker have said that America deserved 9/11.
The days following 9/11 saw an outburst of unity in America not seen since World War II. Remember Democrats and Republicans gathering on the Capitol steps to sing “God Bless America” together? That unity was never going to last, of course, but if only we had known how fleeting it would be. Democrats in 2001 believed—at least publicly—that we should control our border, that marriage was between a man and a woman, that boys are boys and girls are girls, and, perhaps most importantly, that America was a great nation. How many Democrats believe those things today? How can we share unity with people who have such fundamentally different beliefs about what our country is and what it should be?
How many Democrats, such as Piker, Zohran Mamdani, or Ilhan Omar, believe that America was the villain in the story of 9/11?
Fixing this situation will require soberly confronting where we went wrong. As a nation, we abandoned the Christian foundation of our society, we abandoned the idea that America is a people worth preserving, and we lost confidence in ourselves and our countrymen. We adopted the lie that all cultures are equal; even that other cultures—including those that motivated the 9/11 attacks themselves—are superior to our own. We became the stereotypical liberal who won’t even take his own side in an argument. The conservative movement wasted a generation of blood and treasure on foreign wars on the premise that we must fight them over there lest we fight them here—but then we brought “them” here anyway.
On September 10, 2001, the Taliban ruled Afghanistan, Rudy Giuliani was mayor of New York City, and you could meet your family at the airport gate. Today, the Taliban rule Afghanistan, Zohran Mamdani is mayor of New York City, and you have to wait by the curb to see your family. Is this progress?
The only constant in human history is change. We cannot go back to the world of the 1990s, the world that ended on September 11, 2001. The only way out is through. The best time to correct course after making a wrong turn is immediately. The second best time is now.
Labrador: Remembering September 11
Twenty-five years ago today, America changed forever.
I can still remember that morning. When I arrived at work, people were gathered around the television, watching in shock and disbelief. As I joined them, the second plane struck the South Tower. In that instant, we understood that our nation was under attack and that America would never be the same.
Every American who remembers that day has a similar story. We remember where we were when we heard the news. We remember who we were with, what we were doing, and how quickly an ordinary morning turned into one of the darkest days in American history.
We watched terrified people jump. We watched firefighters and police officers run toward the buildings while everyone else was trying to get away. And then we watched the towers come down.
McGrane: What does “Never Forget” mean 25 years later?
Those words took on an entirely new meaning in the days following September 11th. Twenty-five years later, I think it’s worth asking ourselves what we’re meant to remember.
I happened to be visiting Washington, D.C., when the first plane hit the World Trade Center. Like many Americans, I initially assumed it was a terrible accident. Then we watched the second plane hit live on television. When the Pentagon was struck across the river, you could hear the sound of sirens as the tragedy and chaos filled the city.
Moon: Remembering the heroes of 9/11
25 years ago, our world changed forever. Radical Muslim terrorists hijacked four airplanes, crashing them into the two towers of the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and a field in Pennsylvania. 2,977 people were killed in the worst terror attack in American history.
For the victims and their families, it was a shocking tragedy. Men and women just going about their day had their lives ended in an instant. First responders charged bravely into danger, and many never came out of those hellish places.
There are countless stories of heroism and sacrifice from that awful day.
Rick Rescorla was a decorated veteran of the Vietnam War who took a job as a security consultant at the World Trade Center following the attempted truck bombing in 1993. He drew up escape plans, conducted drills, and did everything he could to prepare employees for an emergency. He spent the morning of September 11 guiding men and women to safety, going back time and again to find more survivors. He was never seen again following the collapse of the South Tower.
Press releases
Idaho State Police releases research on drug and alcohol crime
Attorney General Labrador demands feds fight illegal robocalls
Dept. of Education invites Idaho students to reflect on 9/11
Rufo & Lomez speak with Col. Rob Maness, who was in the Pentagon the morning of September 11, 2001:
I’m almost done with the state agencies hub on Idaho Insider. I’m still working on the commodities commissions—nine of which exist statutorily under the Department of Self-Governing Agencies, while several more seem to exist either completely independently or under the banner of the Department of Agriculture. It’s complicated, but I’m untangling it as best as possible to give you even more tools to hold your government accountable.
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