Post 9/11: Five Years Later ... Where are we now?

2,973 people and 19 hijackers lost their lives on 9/11. The effects were immediate. The following day was a day of national unity. The nation rallied together, and gave the President and government unanimous support. It's been now five years since the event we call 9/11. Has our world changed? Yes. For the better? I don't know. The President and government have taken many steps that in their eyes will help secure our nation. These steps have included waging a war on terror, and restricting more civil liberties. The government created the Department of Homeland Security, passed the Patriot Act, used the NSA phone taps, and has required many tens of thousands Arabs and Muslims to be detained and interrogated. There has been great global political ramifications and great domestic polarization. We are no longer "united as we stand". The support for the government and the President have fallen drastically.

Last night, the President made a televised speech to the American public. He used the minority of that speech to remember the fallen of 9/11. The majority was devoted to defend the administration's foreign policy after the attacks, especially Operation Iraqi Freedom. The televised event seemed like a paid advertisement for the upcoming election. The government and President spun 9/11 to wage a war against a leader of a country that liked Al-Qaeda as much as we did. The ensuing military action has cost more lives and injuries then that fateful day in 2001. The needless casualties has escalated tensions in the Middle East, and now we are in a middle of a fight with no end in sight. There are still two holes in the ground in New York City. It is a shame on us that nothing has been done. No memorial, no reconstruction, no recovery. It seems the terrorists are still winning at Ground Zero. The images of 9/11 are seared into our minds. We will never forget. But it appears the President and bickering politicians have. Shame on you.

The following is a clip of the first post 9/11 show of The Daily Show. It's a raw and powerful monologue by a New Yorker shortly after the events of Sept. 11, 2001.