Everything changed. It changed everything. It will never be the same. Starting on September 12, 2001 and continuing to this day, although less frequently, these phrases have been uttered by people across the nation. Whether or not they were using it to justify spying on fellow Americans, hate brown skinned people, bomb the shit out of foreign nations, or even to just innocently reflect on the fear and rage inside them, people used these phrases as their battle cry.
Now it is our turn.
I am sure many of you are familiar with the Post 9/11 conservative. A person who before 9/11 may have been considered either liberal or apolitical, but after that became a champion of multiple conservative causes in the name of protecting America. The 'comedian' Dennis Miller, Actor Ron Silver, and politician Joe Lieberman were some of the most well known cause celebs of this particular movement.
But there were also a countless number of everyday Americans that can also fit into this category. People like you and me that all of the sudden decided that it was okay for our country to rule our people and other nations with an Iron fist, shoot first and ask questions later, and of course throw massive amounts of money into the military industrial complex, as long as it prevented the Emergency Color Thingy from gong all the way to red. And because of popular public sentiment and because of these post 9/11 conservatives, these things were allowed to happen. That is because public opinion still matters.
Now I am not saying all these things to make a false comparison, or to align peoples feelings after 9/11 to what we started to feel on Friday evening. They were different events, with different reasoning behind them they contributed to their awfulness. However, I will say that I am starting to see a post Sandy Hook mindset. And this time, it can be for our benefit.
Just in the past 24 hours, former gun zealots such as Joe Scarborough and Joesph Manchin have become introspective concerning their previously held beliefs on the absolute rights of gun owners and the NRA. People that have been wishy-washy before concerning their beliefs on gun control are beginning to find their courage through their outrage and make their opinions loud and clear.
This is an opportunity. We can have a post Sandy Hook mindset, and this time it can be for the benefit of our country.