Is America More Safe Now Than Before 9/11?

Is America Safer Now Than before 9/11?

        “After so many years and so much sacrifice, nothing has changed” (Ten Years After 9/11). I have to agree with Omar Ashmawy as he states that we are not any safer. I feel that for many reasons we are not any safer or maybe even less safe now than before. Since 9/11 we have seen homegrown terrorism, more mass shootings, and continue dealing with an endless fight with the Middle East. Although we have seen things change to help with the security of America, I do not feel a safer environment. I believe that terrorism has grown since 9/11 and will only become a larger problem.

        Not all the terrorism we see is from foreign places or foreign people. We have seen many acts right here from U.S. citizens.  "From Sept. 11, 2001, to January 2014, there were 74 known terrorist plots perpetrated by Americans, lawful U.S. residents or visitors largely radicalized here in the United States" (Number of Homegrown Terrorist Is Rising).  As I read this in USA Today, I felt even more petrified of what could be going on right here in America. Not only do I have to worry about other countries putting me in danger, but there are other Americans who want to hurt our country and the people in it. I feel that 9/11 showed the wrong people that it is that easy to gain control over something so big and change things so dramatically. There are many evil people who would do anything for power, and terrorizing the U.S. is one of them. A large homegrown attack happened less than four months ago in San Bernardino, California on December 2, 2015. A man and his wife killed fourteen and injured twenty-two American citizens at the Inland Regional Center during the husband's office holiday party. After the shooting, the shooters fled the scene of the incident and then were later gunned down by the police. As if terrorism from other countries isn't bad enough, we have it happening here in our home.

        Mass shootings have become a huge problem in the U.S. I read that there were more shootings than days in 2015, how terrible! All mass shootings are acts of terror, and these shootings have definitely grown in number since September 11, 2001. The shooting I wrote about in San Bernardino was the worst terrorist attack to occur since 9/11, and we see about it on the news still today. Another terrorism based mass shooting was the 2009 Fort Hood shooting. This shooting, that took place at a military base, killed thirteen people and injuring thirty.  I could go on listing many shootings, but my main point is that these shootings have become more common since 9/11.

        The last thing I would like to talk about is the endless battle the United States have fought with the Middle East. "The majority of issues that are dominating international politics and international relations relate to the US and the Middle East" (US & Middle East Relations). I think that it is very obvious that so many of the problems America is facing today with terrorism come from the past occurrences with the Middle East. We first came in position with the Middle East at the end of 1914 when we came over to protect oil supplies. This early in time America was not interested in the oil for themselves instead were just there supporting Britain. Later, during World War II, US troops were in Iran to move supplies for the military to the Soviet Union causing little to no tension. The first thing that caused problems was when Eisenhower arranged for the CIA to overthrow there then current leader, Mohammed Mossadegh, who was a popular leader who did not like American or British influence. "The coup severely tarnished America’s reputation among Iranians, who lost trust in American claims of protecting democracy" (US & Middle East Since 1945).  This is where the hate for America began, as we are still struggling today with the problems coming from ISIS.