An unsettling time in our country
Opinion | By Easton Martin | September 11, 2025
Twenty-four years have passed since the attacks of September 11, 2001. The nation that emerged in the aftermath is not the same country that was struck that morning. Out of the tragedy came sweeping changes to security, government, and the way Americans think about their place in the world.
The Department of Homeland Security was created to unify intelligence and emergency response. Aviation was permanently altered with measures such as locked cockpit doors, federal air marshals, and the establishment of the Transportation Security Administration. The FirstNet network gave first responders tools to coordinate in real time. Counterterrorism expanded through the USA PATRIOT Act and greater FBI powers. These changes made America harder to strike, but they also sparked lasting debates about privacy and liberty.
The impact went far beyond security. Immigration policy shifted, military budgets swelled, and America waged long wars overseas. Rising powers like China and India rebalanced global economics, while at home, a generation came of age in a climate of vigilance, surveillance, and uncertainty.
Yet not all the changes have been for the worse. Communities have grown more resilient in disaster, and technology has connected Americans in ways that strengthen response and recovery. While divisions run deep, the capacity for ordinary people to come together in crisis remains evident.
This year’s remembrance comes at an unsettled time. The assassination of Charlie Kirk, a man known for defending free speech and open debate, underscores that threats to American life are no longer only foreign. His death is a sobering reminder that the freedoms we value must be guarded with the same determination that reshaped the nation after 9/11.
To remember September 11 is to acknowledge both loss and change. It is also to recognize the responsibility to protect what remains good and worth preserving.
