Can terrorism actually be used to change our opinion of the government?

Question

What i beleive is that terrorism is not primarily aimed in inflicting a mass amt. of casualties. What the real focus is, is changing the minds of the American public. So what we call terrorism is indeed "Psychological warfare" How is that possible? Well, hijack some planes fly them into buildings and kill thousands of people with the goal of causing fear, confusion, and chaos. This does NOT work with the U.S. we do not demand change after an attack on the contrary we unite and demand action. What leads Americans to demand change is the war we wage against the terrorist and nations abroad. Americans want a fast and easy way out. When we take to long to accomplish a goal we begin to loose faith and confidence. This is what thrives the American public to demand a change. Terrorism IS a threat to the U.S. and its interest and it WILL continue to be a theat

Answer 1

Yes, this was a thought behind the incedent and anyone is lacking information who thinks this is a one day, one month or one year battle.

Answer 2

"The terrorists have already won." It's a quote from a movie called The Siege (1998).

Because of the terrorist attacks, the US government and Commander-in-Sheik have stripped a huge number of constitutional protections. People are living in fear, subject to greater and greater privacy violations every day, and no safer than they were 5 or 10 years ago.

People are held without access to attorneys, wiretaps are allowed without warrants, courts are being told that they do not even have the authority to determine if the government has violated the law. People are being convicted without ever having done anything wrong, based solely on the fact that they might someday!

This is not the land of the free. The US has started down the road to being a tyranny. Its leaders lie to the people, flout the law, ignore the courts. We invade other countries because we don't like they way they are running their government. We threaten other countries because we don't like the type of research they are doing. The US would never stand for any other country (or the UN) telling it not to conduct weapons tests or energy research programs. But it appears to have no problems making those type of demands against other countries.

The levels of hypocrisy and basic loss of civil liberties are unparalleled since the days of McCarthy and the House Un-American Activities commission. Have we learned so little in 50 years that we make all the same mistakes over again, even worse? Has this country really lost the concept of what liberty means, and why we fought so hard to be free two centuries ago?

The terrorists have already won. They have caused America to become a land of the fearful and the home of the scared. To sacrifice liberties in the name of security, and to punish anyone we consider a threat completely ignoring the rules of law.

The terrorists have already won. The question is, do we stop those who are now in power from taking us even farther down that road?

Answer 3

it already has changed things... tapping phones without a warrant would never have happened pre 9-11... the paranoia had to fuel that kind of change... the greater fear of "terrorists" over loosing one's freedoms...

it will continue to be a threat until we eliminate those that attacked us... unfortunately... they aren't in Iraq and that's what we are focusing on... so, terror will be around quite a while until we actually figure out where the terrorists are...

Answer 4

I think terrorism has already changed our opinion of our government. They (terrorists) are very patient while we allow ourselves to separate and allow our country to become divided. Remember these famous last words: "United we stand, divided we fall". Everyone should think long and hard about the meaning and then united as ONE NATION UNDER GOD, again.

Answer 5

They want to create an ISLAMIST WORLD STATE and think we'll cut and run.
They have some powerfull allies in the U.S. government, who are only to happy to, cut and run.
LIBERALS !!!!