TERRE HAUTE —
In the post-9/11 world, Americans have been willing to make some concessions in the name of national security, but not many, says a St. Mary-of-the-Woods College faculty member.
Americans value their personal freedoms, says Pat McIntyre, assistant professor of theology at The Woods. “People refuse to let fear of the possibility of attacks cause them to give up their liberty,” she said.
They will continue to travel and understand the need for certain inconveniences such as airport security measures. People will sacrifice some of their personal liberties and privacy to be safer, “but over the 10 years, it’s not been that much,” she said.
For the most part, people haven’t changed the way they live or do business. Crowds of 70,000 to 80,000 still gather at stadiums for major athletic events. “We didn’t stop doing any of that,” she said.
Americans are saying “there are certain things we do value and there are certain ideas we think are important enough to defend. … Liberty is one of those.”
McIntyre pointed to the debate over the Patriot Act, passed six weeks after 9/11. The law greatly increased government powers to combat domestic and international terrorist activities. It broadly expanded law enforcement’s surveillance and investigative powers, and some of its provisions raised civil liberties issues and brought legal challenges. “Personally, I think there were elements of the Patriot Act that were overly intrusive,” she said.
Again, people want security “but not at the expense of our liberty.”
In their response to 9/11, Americans also demonstrated that they value justice, she said. They want those responsible for the terrorism to be penalized, but they aren’t going to blame an entire group of people for the actions of a few, McIntyre said.
People aren’t being “rounded up” or marginalized because of their ethnicity, color or politics, she said. “It’s been encouraging to see there hasn’t been a real rush to judgment” or violence against Muslims on a broad scale, although there have been isolated incidents.
“We can still claim that justice is central to our existence as a nation,” she said.
Tom Steiger, Indiana State University sociology professor, said Americans tend to share the same values, which are embedded in our culture. But individuals may prioritize those values differently.
Americans deeply value their individual freedoms and the ability to go where they want unfettered, especially by the government.
In the decade since 9/11, what has surfaced is a kind of “tension” between the need for more security so citizens are safe versus the value placed on personal freedoms.
On one hand, Americans recognize that something has to be done to make the country more secure, “even if we don’t believe it’s that effective,” Steiger said.
For example, citizens are willing to put up with greater security measures at airports and give up a little of that personal freedom — but there are limits, he said.
Use of full-body scans at airport checkpoints has sparked intense debate, pitting national security measures against issues of personal privacy.
Tom Johnson, ISU professor of psychology, says there was a lot of post-9/11 rhetoric about not giving in to fear or hate.
But the event did generate much fear and anger.
He suggests that some of our national political policies and responses under President George Bush “were driven by fear.”
He believes it could be argued that Mideast policy as well as wars in Iraq and Afghanistan “were at least in part driven by either fear of not wanting [terrorist attacks] to happen again or the idea of retribution for those responsible.”
In giving the government greater authority to fight terrorism, Johnson suggests Americans may have given up some of their civil liberties — or at least more than they want — because they don’t want another 9/11.
On a personal level, Johnson said he hasn’t curtailed overseas travel because of 9/11, but he does think about security issues now and the potential for terrorist activity.
Sue Loughlin can be reached at (812) 231-4235 or sue.loughlin@
tribstar.com.
9/11: 10th Anniversary Coverage
LIFE & LIBERTY: Americans won’t let lives be ruled by fear, prof says
- 9/11: 10th Anniversary Coverage
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Delores Ann Day
Delores Ann Day, 77, of Terre Haute, passed away at 2:10 a.m. on Tuesday, June 5, 2012, in Union Hospital.
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Wabash Valley lights the night in memory of those lost to terrorism
As the sun set and skies turned pink Sunday, about 30 people worked to light 9,200 tea candles at the Fairbanks Park Chauncey Rose Memorial.
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‘September Souls’ a 9/11 story told one piece at a time
Amid the mourning, artwork was born.
The resulting quilt, “September Souls,” will be on display in Indiana State University’s Cunningham Memorial Library through October, along with a short video about its creator, the late Rosemary England. -
Terre Haute South site of 9/11 ceremony to ‘remember the fallen’
The morning was clear, warm and comfortable, not unlike 10 years ago on Sept. 11, 2001, when hijackers on suicide missions murdered nearly 3,000 people in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania.
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Donors remember times of need as they let the ‘red’ flow
The music floating about Fairbanks Park was serene, but inside the air-conditioned RV nearby, the blood was pumping.
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Service honors those who boldly leap into the face of danger
Religious services around the Wabash Valley marked the 10th anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001, including a special service honoring America’s emergency responders Sunday at Good Shepherd Baptist Church on the south side of Terre Haute.
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ISU ensembles honor memory of 9/11
Vocal and instrumental music blended with visual images as Indiana State University student performers joined Sunday in songs of reflection and hope in memory of 9/11.
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EDITORIAL: Inspired by resilience in our post-9/11 world
The places directly linked to 9/11 can seem so distant from our own surroundings here in the Wabash Valley.
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True heroism: Flight 93 rewrote conclusion to plot by 9/11 terrorists (see VIDEO)
Walking in the Shadows of 9/11
Last of a three-part series
The place — chosen by fate — holds a powerful silence. -
MARK BENNETT: Value of every minute deeply realized on 9/11 (related VIDEO)
Editor’s Note
This summer, the Tribune-Star’s Mark Bennett visited New York City, Washington, D.C., and Shanksville, Pa., sites where the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, are now memorialized. He observed the cityscapes and landscapes forever changed by the events of that day and talked with people he encountered there, many of whom witnessed the attacks and their aftermath from close range and had personal ties to its victims. -
Three sites ... a shared goal: Travelers will experience 3 distinct environments at 9/11 memorials
A national sense of tragedy provides a common, connecting thread to these three places.
A broad plot by al-Qaida terrorists sent hijacked commercial airlines crashing into the World Trade Center towers in New York, the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., and a remote field near Shanksville, Pa., on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001. A decade later, most Americans old enough to vote know the basic story and remember where they were on 9/11. -
Pilot recalls escorting Air Force One on 9/11
Piloting his F-16 fighter jet on the afternoon of Sept. 11, 2001, then-Lt. Col. Chris Colbert of the Terre Haute-based 181st Fighter Wing, could see that the shimmering object in the distance was a very, very large aircraft.
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Volunteers turn out for 9/11 Day of Service
Building handicapped ramps, pulling weeds along a city park trail and assembling packages for U.S. military personnel were all part of a 9/11 Day of Service on Saturday organized by Terre Haute Ministries.
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Pentagon Memorial pays tribute to 184 lives lost in 9/11 attack on Washington (related VIDEO)
Walking in the Shadows of 9/11
Second of a three-part series
The latch clicked loudly, and Lt. Col. Robert L. Ditchey pushed open a door inside Corridor 4 of the Pentagon.
He entered an area that resembles an urban alley, but with a roof.
“This is where the final pieces of the aircraft had crashed through,” explained Ditchey, Pentagon press officer for the Department of Defense. -
Sept. 11, 2001 — A date seared into the minds of Americans
There are events so important in our lives that we remember every detail. Sometimes, these are personal celebrations such as weddings, births and graduations. But other events, sudden and tragic on a national scale, such as the brutal terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on 9/11, become defining moments for a generation.
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B.J. RILEY: Quieting the roar of the presses …
There are memories branded forever in our minds. They are as clear as if they occurred just yesterday. I will never forget that Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2001, or the days that followed …
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A CHANGED NATION: After 9/11, air travel, privacy, security all took on new rules
A lot has changed in the decade since passenger planes were used as missiles to destroy the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City and to damage the Pentagon in Washington, D.C.
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9/11 Day of Service in Valley: Consolidated 5th-graders swept away with helping others
After the 9/11 tragedy, many saw a spirit of unity emerging across the country as Americans pulled together and helped each other during a dark time in U.S. history.
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WHY I SERVE: The soldier
On the wall of his office inside the Myers Technology Building, Chris Pfaff pointed to a map of Afghanistan, a place about as different from the Indiana State University campus as one can imagine.
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'ALMOST SURREAL': A decade later, two men who witnessed the attacks look back
The underground Metro train shook noticeably.
Something had happened. William Hanna, a retired U.S. Army colonel living in Virginia, was on board the Metro and could feel the shock. -
WHY I SERVE: The firefighter
Big red trucks and blaring sirens always held a special appeal for Jason Kame.
“I always wanted to be a fireman. I was one of those kids that always knew what I wanted to do,” he said inside the Terre Haute Fire Department’s Headquarters Station at First and Spruce streets. -
TEACHING TRAGEDY: Attacks created new chapters for the history books
The 9/11 terrorist attacks permanently changed the daily routine for students in the Vigo County School Corp.
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WHY I SERVE: The police officer
Joe Watts heard the calling to wear a police uniform early in life.
“I tell everyone that as far back as I can remember, I wanted to be a state trooper,” Watts says. -
TEACHING TRAGEDY: 9/11 attacks were a ‘historical turning point’
Incoming college freshmen this fall would have been about 8 years old when 9/11 occurred, and college faculty find that with each passing year, students know less and less about the terrorist attacks.
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Ralston took part in congressional terrorism study before 9/11
Years before the terrorist attacks in 2001, Terre Haute resident Patrick R. Ralston was part of a national panel that would assess how the U.S. government could assist state and local responders in combating terrorism.
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IN GOD WE TRUST: Many sought comfort in prayer, religion after attacks
In times of tragedy, many people turn to prayer to help them begin to cope with myriad emotions.
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LIFE & LIBERTY: Americans won’t let lives be ruled by fear, prof says
In the post-9/11 world, Americans have been willing to make some concessions in the name of national security, but not many, says a St. Mary-of-the-Woods College faculty member.
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Ten years removed, 9/11 attack on NYC remains on minds of many (see VIDEO)
First of a three-part series
A decade later, images from Sept. 11, 2001, remain vivid in the minds of most Americans. Plane crashes. Collapsing skyscrapers. Staggering people covered in dust. Horror. Shock. Confusion. Fear. Heroism. -
9/11 Memorial Event to honor those killed in attacks
Late last year, Terri (T.J.) Coonce had a vision for a 9/11 memorial event.
Inspired by an uncle and cousin who had served in Afghanistan, she wanted to honor not only those killed in the terrorist attacks, but also all American service members who have since lost their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan.
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‘Remember those who were heroes that day’
Half-time shows at college football games are normally reserved for some relatively light entertainment and a chance to buy some snacks.
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