(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Many people in the United States—though not a majority—think their country is safer now compared to how it was before the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, according to a poll by Rasmussen Reports. 45 per cent of respondents share this view, while 37 per cent disagree.
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Many people in the United States—though not a majority—think their country is safer now compared to how it was before the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, according to a poll by Rasmussen Reports. 45 per cent of respondents share this view, while 37 per cent disagree.
Al-Qaeda operatives hijacked and crashed four airplanes in the U.S. on Sept. 11, 2001, killing nearly 3,000 people. In July 2004, the federal commission that investigated the events of 9/11 concluded that "none of the measures adopted by the U.S. government from 1998 to 2001 disturbed or even delayed the progress of the al-Qaeda plot" and pointed out government failures of "imagination, policy, capabilities, and management."
On Jul. 8, a report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) said that at least 10 government buildings lack proper protection against terrorist attacks. The report outlined how investigators carrying liquid explosives and low-yield detonators "passed undetected" through security checkpoints, were able to assemble bombs inside the facilities and "walked freely" close to the premises holding the detonators.
Independent senator Joseph Lieberman commented on the report, saying, "It is simply unacceptable that federal employees working within buildings under FPS’ [Federal Protective Service] protection, and the visitors who pass through them, are so utterly exposed to potential attack by terrorists and other enemies."
Polling Data
Is the United States today safer than it was before the 9/11 terrorist attacks?
|
Yes |
45% |
|
No |
37% |
|
Not sure |
19% |
Source: Rasmussen Reports
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,000 American likely voters, conducted on Jul. 1, 2009. Margin of error is 3 per cent.
