Fitting that it was published on September 11th, 2013. A dozen years after the attacks on the World Trade Centers, it's clear that the terrorists won. The USA

Fitting that it was published on September 11th, 2013. A dozen years after the attacks on the World Trade Centers, it's clear that the terrorists won. The USA cannot be called the "land of the free, home of the brave" anymore. Terrorists know that their tactics work very well, and has made the US vulnerable to even more attacks because of cowardice. Imagine if the US government had decided _not_ to be terrorized, like the Norwegians did for the 2011 Oslo attacks: --- And at the political level, the Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg pledged to do everything to ensure the country's core values were not undermined. "The Norwegian response to violence is more democracy, more openness and greater political participation," he said. A year later it seems the prime minister has kept his word. There have been no changes to the law to increase the powers of the police and security services, terrorism legislation remains the same and there have been no special provisions made for the trial of suspected terrorists. On the streets of Oslo, CCTV cameras are still a comparatively rare sight and the police can only carry weapons after getting special permission. Even the gate leading to the parliament building in the heart of Oslo remains open and unguarded. "It is still easy to get access to parliament and we hope it will stay that way, " said Lise Christoffersen, a Labour party MP. She is convinced people do not want laws passed which would curtail their basic rights and impinge on their privacy despite the relative ease with which Breivik was able to plan and carry out his attacks. --- There is a way back to the way the US used to be, but the answer is not something most people will even consider or listen to.