How 9/11 changed us: Making sure the terrorists don't winBy Rick Hampson, USA TODAY
In Las Vegas, a former governor said it. In Columbia, S.C., a criminologist said it. Outside Washington, D.C., a retired general said it. A social studies teacher in Marietta, Ga., said it, as did the mayor of Shelby, Mont., and an editorial writer in Jackson, Miss.
If we hide in the basement; if we cancel the ballgame; if we don't go to school; if we trade freedom for security; if we strike a scapegoat or stoop to vengeance or turn on each other; if we change in any of a thousand ways — then, they all said on Sept. 11, 2001, "the terrorists have won."
The phrase became a national cri de coeur. After the terror attacks, Americans assumed al-Qaeda could never defeat them militarily and had to win by panicking, provoking or intimidating them into abandoning their democratic, capitalistic, pluralistic ways.
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In warnings, patriotism and humor, the many faces of “… or the terrorists have won":
Sept. 12, 2001
"If we stop these things, then (the terrorists) have won." — Debbie Ryndak of the Wheaton, Ill., Chamber of Commerce, explaining to the Chicago Daily Herald why the annual Autumn Fest would be held as scheduled, despite phone calls from people "irate that we're not canceling" in the wake of the terrorist attacks.
Oct. 30, 2001
The Stratford, Conn., school board votes to let the high school marching band, one of 12 such groups chosen to play at the Tournament of Roses parade, go to Pasadena for the New Year's Day event. The vote comes despite post-9/11 cross-country travel jitters. Christopher Ready, a junior who plays the saxophone, later tells The New York Times: "I understand why some parents are worried, but we can't let the terrorists win."
Nov. 4, 2001
Ellen DeGeneres, hosting an Emmy Awards show twice postponed after 9/11, jokes: "We're told to go on living our lives as usual, because to do otherwise is to let the terrorists win, and really, what would upset the Taliban more than a gay woman wearing a suit in front of a room full of Jews?"
Nov. 18, 2001
The New York Post reports that Martha Stewart is upset that so few employees of her company have agreed to host smaller holiday parties in their homes in lieu of the company's usual big bash. Stewart offered $300 per host to cover costs, but apparently had few takers, perhaps because hosts don't get to pick their guests. She sent an e-mail: "This is a very, very special year … for every company and person affected by the events of Sept. 11. To me, the terrorists have certainly succeeded if so few of you participate in a company-wide effort to get together."
April 14, 2002
"When we treat everybody like terrorists, the terrorists have won. We've got to quit hiding behind those walls as though we were fairy princesses." — Colorado state Sen. Ken Chlouber, the Republican sponsor of a bill to roll back post-9/11 security measures at the state Capitol. It would reopen all entrances to the public, eliminate metal detectors and return two police cars permanently parked at the bottom of the steps to "other law enforcement purposes."
Sept. 11, 2002
After the West Virginia Public Service Commission restricts public access to maps and documents showing locations of power lines, natural gas pipelines and water supplies, West Virginia University journalism professor Terry Wimmer tells TheCharleston Gazette that "we will have bureaucrats deciding what is public records. … That just proves the terrorists won."
Feb. 13, 2003
With fears of another terrorist attack running high, some Americans stock up on bottled water or seal their windows with plastic and duct tape. But not all. "If I go out and start buying duct tape," says Moshe Pekkar of the Squirrel Hill section of Pittsburgh, "it means the terrorists have succeeded."
Sept. 11, 2003
On the second anniversary of 9/11, priest Leo Connolly tells parishioners at St. Nicholas Roman Catholic Church in Zanesville, Ohio, to try to love their enemies: "Maybe — if we're consistent and try long enough and hard enough — even our most ardent enemies will be moved by Christian love. … If we don't give people enough love, then the terrorists have won."
Aug. 2, 2004
U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner says that "if we do not reopen the Statue of Liberty's crown, the terrorists have won." The New York Democrat blasts a National Park Service decision to admit the public only as far as the pedestal. "Merely reopening her feet is no triumph," he says. "Osama bin Laden has kept the Statue of Liberty closed for far too long." The Park Service won't allow visitors up in the statue because of the difficulty of evacuating them in an emergency.
Aug. 31, 2005
"The terrorists have won when a Christian preacher issues his own fatwa." — Columnist Bill Press, referring to TV evangelist Pat Robertson's suggestion that if, as he has claimed, President Hugo Chávez of Venezuela is targeted by the U.S. for assassination, "we really ought to go ahead and do it. It's a whole lot cheaper than starting a war."
Nov. 29, 2005
No. 5 on David Letterman's "Top 10 Questions Paris Hilton Asked Herself Before Buying a Monkey": "If I don't buy this monkey, does that mean the terrorists have won?"
Nov. 27, 2005
"The (U.S. Supreme Court) needs to make clear that, even in wartime, citizens retain their constitutional rights and cannot be imprisoned without due process. A failure to establish that in this case would leave every one of us open to arbitrary arrest and imprisonment without being formally charged. That would reduce the Constitution to just another piece of paper, which would mean that the terrorists had won." —ThePatriot-News of Harrisburg, Pa., referring to the case of Jose Padilla, an American terror suspect held for three years in a Navy jail without being charged.
Aug. 17, 2007
"(El Pescador) is the best Mexican restaurant to hit Madison — well, maybe ever. … Seldom do I get this enthused, but — let's put it this way — if people aren't soon lined up around the block to enjoy this food, then the terrorists have won." — Jerry Minnich, restaurant reviewer for Isthmus, a weekly in Madison, Wis.
April 11, 2008
After the restaurant chain Hooters announces plans to open restaurants in England, the website Jezebel calls it a "sign of the Apocalypse … The terrorists have won."
June 09, 2009
A Des Moines civil liberties advocate criticizes the City Council for approving acceptance of $286,000 in homeland security grants without asking more questions. Marty Ryan of the ACLU of Iowa says city officials should have asked for more specifics about how the money will be used to secure undisclosed potential terrorist targets. Police say details could undermine security, and council members say they don't need them. "In an ideal world, everybody would know what's going on," says councilman Tom Vlassis, "but terrorism is a different world." Ryan's reply: "The terrorists have won."
Sept. 15, 2009
"On Amtrak to Rhode Island. They added hummus to dining-car menu. Did the terrorists win?" — From Twitter profile of stand-up comedian Mike Birbiglia.
Nov. 2, 2009
On his radio show, Don Imus says of his environmentalist wife, Deirdre: "When we buy plastic CD covers, according to my wife, 'the terrorists win.'"
Aug. 4, 2010
Conservative radio talk-show host Laura Ingraham criticizes a proposal for a mosque and Islamic community center near Ground Zero: "The terrorists have won with the way this has gone down."
Sept. 23, 2010
"Muslim Americans (in Lower Manhattan on 9/11) were victims, just as all Americans were victims. Many people do not associate those Muslims with terrorism, and feel that if the (Ground Zero mosque) is stopped, the terrorists have won another victory." — Letter to the PoughkeepsieJournal by Richard Douglass of Pleasant Valley, N.Y.
Dec. 2, 2010
Soccer fans at Red Bulls stadium in Harrison, N.J., are disappointed to learn the tiny Middle Eastern nation of Qatar has been selected over the U.S. to host the 2022 World Cup. A man holds up a hastily prepared sign: "The Terrorists Have Won."
March 7, 2011
"We'e terrorizing innocent travelers to save us from terrorism. We've lost the battle if we continue to do that. The terrorists have won." — Texas state Republican Rep. David Simpson, co-sponsor of legislation to ban the TSA from using full-body scanners or invasive pat-down searches at Texas airports. He tells the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that security officers at a Michigan airport "put their hands between my wife's breasts."
March 17, 2011
"Certainly the government should back the Fourth of July. For the community to say it's not worth it, I find that appalling. (If there are no fireworks), the terrorists have won." — Pewaukee, Wis., village trustee John Laimon in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel about insufficient funding for a fireworks display.
April 17, 2011
"Personally, I never got over Uncrustables — those frozen, pre-made, peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches. I saw someone buy a box the other day and thought, 'The terrorists have won.'" — Steve Penhollow, columnist for The (Fort Wayne, Ind.) Journal Gazette.
May 5, 2011
"It saddens me to see that the terrorists have won. … The fists into the air and the cries of victory as if our team had just won a Super Bowl disgust me. The only things missing were gunshots up into the sky at the news of the death of Osama bin Laden." — Donna Sprague, Plainville, R.I., letter to The Providence Journal.
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