What permanent changes in your life has 9/11 caused?

[Hautex]

It's been 15 years since the attack and most of our lives have been permanently changed by it. Have you embraced the changes you made or do you want things to go back to what they were. 9/11 inspired me to become a corrections officer at a Federal Detention Center that held 2000 illegal immigrants, although law enforcement was never before on my agenda. I still avoid commercial flying and attending large public gatherings. It's difficult, for the 1st time in my life, to not profile strangers and I hate that. I am now armed most of the time and am constantly in turmoil over how I would have to respond if the situation ever presented itself that I needed to use it. I wish things could go back to pre-9/11 mentalities because the more laid back, mellow guy is still inside but feels more a captive than a truly free person. Maybe I should join a hippie commune, if they still exist, in a state where pot is legal and guns serve as novelty bongs....

[Robert Ghostwolf's Ghost]

Air travel has gone from being a not unpleasant experience to an ordeal of discomfort and inconvenience, and it's become impossible to sneak my own liquor on board.

[ItsOver]

I still avoid commercial flying...

This.  I try to avoid flying, if at all possible, and now drive a longer distance than I might have, previous to 9-11.  It's not because I'm concerned about terrorists, though.  I just hate dealing with the TSA.  Just seeing these clowns at the airport and the crap you have to endure aggravates me.  It definitely makes me feel as if I'm in a police state.

I've never been a supporter of the so-called Patriot Act, either.  I believe most of it violates our basic rights as an American.  The name alone makes it sounds like it's something from Orwell's "1984."  That, and Homeland Security.  Crap, it sounds like something from Der Fatherland or Mother Russia.  :

If Bin Laden and his gang wanted to give the Feds excuses to further infringe upon our rights, he succeeded in that respect.

[albrecht]

Flying has become all the more tiresome and not fun. And, as someone mentioned above, no more bringing a flask or drinking from your duty-free bought booze. Interestingly enough a few months after 9/11 I had a brutal layover due to a missed connection at SeaTac and I found an abandoned gate in an attempt to sleep and fortify myself. Nothing was open but I bought an over-priced juice from a machine and was making me a pick me up and security swarmed as I was fiddling with my carry-on. Security saw that I was making a cocktail and I sorta shrugged and I said nicely but with a haggard, "what am I supposed to do" look "I just got off a rough 8 hour flight, stuck here overnight, no bar or restaurant is open? What am I supposed to do?" and he sorta laughed and let me have at it.
I will also say, though, right after 9/11 I was flying out of MSP and a sweating, fidgeting Norwegian businessman said, in heavy accent, at the airport bar we were drinking at: "watch my bag, I must visit the toilet" and I was very worried. Do I tell security? "Be aware" was the watchword and all those announcements about "unattended bags." Then, my paranoia, was thinking: "what better terrorist than some European, middle-age, blond guy" to get around profiles? National guard had the bomb stuff and even some got of battery outside the airport, etc. He came back and explained that he hated flying but his company made him do this trip and was very nervous and thanked me for watching his briefcase. So no incident.

[Robert Ghostwolf's Ghost]

This.  I try to avoid flying, if at all possible, and now drive a longer distance than I might have, previous to 9-11.  It's not because I'm concerned about terrorists, though.  I just hate dealing with the TSA.  Just seeing these clowns at the airport and the crap you have to endure aggravates me.  It definitely makes me feel as if I'm in a police state.

I've never been a supporter of the so-called Patriot Act, either.  I believe most of it violates our basic rights as an American.  The name alone makes it sounds like it's something from Orwell's "1984."  That, and Homeland Security.  Crap, it sounds like something from Der Fatherland or Mother Russia.  :

If Bin Laden and his gang wanted to give the Feds excuses to further infringe upon our rights, he succeeded in that respect.

What you said, IO!

[albrecht]

This.  I try to avoid flying, if at all possible, and now drive a longer distance than I might have, previous to 9-11.  It's not because I'm concerned about terrorists, though.  I just hate dealing with the TSA.  Just seeing these clowns at the airport and the crap you have to endure aggravates me.  It definitely makes me feel as if I'm in a police state.

I've never been a supporter of the so-called Patriot Act, either.  I believe most of it violates our basic rights as an American.  The name alone makes it sounds like it's something from Orwell's "1984."  That, and Homeland Security.  Crap, it sounds like something from Der Fatherland or Mother Russia.  :

If Bin Laden and his gang wanted to give the Feds excuses to further infringe upon our rights, he succeeded in that respect.

The key is in the marketing and naming. "Total Information Awareness" "Carnivore" "Echelon" etc etc, ugh, public won't like...but, hey, call it "Patriot" or "Homeland Security" and how can you not support it! 
Not to be too political but:
1) if they really were concerned about the "homeland" wouldn't the first thing a sane government would do is secure our border and check up on VISA holders who disappear? And not spend billions, well, ok, trillions on defending borders of other countries?
2) use the information they have to prevent attacks? Not conspiracy, but reality, that much of our attacks (domestic and foreign terrorist based) there was prior alerts, insiders, foreign intelligence, informants, etc that were ignored, not seen, or dismissed as bad intel. There were even directives that people applying for "refugee" status that agencies shouldn't look at their public social media accounts.....but our government needs access to all of our phone calls, banking data, meta-data, internet traffic/emails, and now access to encrypted phones? 

[Robert Ghostwolf's Ghost]

Your airport bar experience would be a very tough call, albrecht! My neighborly side would be inclined to oblige him, but the possibility that he was up to no good would definitely give me pause.  I think I might just say okay, wait until he was out of sight, and then drink up and bolt. 

[albrecht]

Your airport bar experience would be a very tough call, albrecht! My neighborly side would be inclined to oblige him, but the possibility that he was up to no good would definitely give me pause.  I think I might just say okay, wait until he was out of sight, and then drink up and bolt. 

Yeah, I thought about it all actually, including that option. But, in my weird way, also thought if it was the worst case and my initial gut-reaction was wrong I deserved being blown-up, along with the innocent victims- I had inadvertently, or actually purposely since I made the decision not to alert TSA or even the bartender- in a weird justice/guilt way. Simply ditching the scene would be worse morally.

[Robert Ghostwolf's Ghost]

Yeah, I thought about it all actually, including that option. But, in my weird way, also thought if it was the worst case and my initial gut-reaction was wrong I deserved being blown-up, along with the innocent victims- I had inadvertently, or actually purposely since I made the decision not to alert TSA or even the bartender- in a weird justice/guilt way. Simply ditching the scene would be worse morally.

Good point!  Apprising the bartender of the situation loudly enough to be heard by the other customers before bolting would be the honorable thing to do, and you could leave with a clear conscience! 

[ItsOver]

The key is in the marketing and naming. "Total Information Awareness" "Carnivore" "Echelon" etc etc, ugh, public won't like...but, hey, call it "Patriot" or "Homeland Security" and how can you not support it! 
Not to be too political but:
1) if they really were concerned about the "homeland" wouldn't the first thing a sane government would do is secure our border and check up on VISA holders who disappear? And not spend billions, well, ok, trillions on defending borders of other countries?
2) use the information they have to prevent attacks? Not conspiracy, but reality, that much of our attacks (domestic and foreign terrorist based) there was prior alerts, insiders, foreign intelligence, informants, etc that were ignored, not seen, or dismissed as bad intel. There were even directives that people applying for "refugee" status that agencies shouldn't look at their public social media accounts.....but our government needs access to all of our phone calls, banking data, meta-data, internet traffic/emails, and now access to encrypted phones? 

Yes, sir.  Fortunately, they haven't dragged me into Room 101 at the Ministry of Love.  Yet.

[3OctaveFart]

Albrecht, that is quite a story about the airport bar. Would have been majorly distressed.

I always worried about shit like that in the ensuing years.

[Hautex]

On a flight from Seattle to Buffalo, 6hrs normally, we got "Jet Blued" in NYC on the runway for over 3 hrs waiting for a gate, which caused the connecting flight to be missed. Because of overly tight regs, I had to pack my blood pressure meds. Only 6hrs, right, no problem... Now it's 3am and my wife, the nurse, is concerned since 1 of the bp meds is critical. Talked to anyone I could find and they could get me my bags but I would need to leave the security area. BUT, since TSA had left for the night, I would not be able to re-enter the airport until they showed up in the morning... After much begging, they put us, and our bags on the flight leaving for Rochester NY, in 10 minutes, and wanted to charge extra!!!!!!!!!! They finally saw things my way, so we took the flight, had to rent a car in Rochester to make it back to our car in Buffalo to make it home near Niagara Falls.... 19hrs after we took off.... Jet Blue offered us $75.00 off our next flight, which has not, and will never, happen. Jet Blue got sued and fined shortly after this event, but who got paid that money was not us.....

[Auslandia]

I now have to take off my shoes.

[Taco Bell]

I now have to take off my shoes.

This is the biggest inconvenience if you ask me. Sure, lines suck, waiting sucks, but given the option of going through all that for a flight which takes a fraction of the time it would require to drive, see ya at the airport.

Last time through the Denver airport the TSA guy at the scanner was prick. Then again, if I had to deal with the public all day pretty sure I wouldn't be all chipper either.

[Hautex]

Is anyone as concerned as me about the ongoing trend to monitor every single public and private place we go? "Big Brother is Watching" was supposed to be fiction in the book "1984", but I got a feeling that George Orwell was actually John Titor time traveling back to warn us..... It couldn't have been, though, because what heartless asshole would not warn about 9/11? Apple seems to be the only company fighting back... Too bad the subject of that fight couldn't be hacked celebrity nudes instead of a terrorists cell phone... Maybe that's part of the plan so when apple has to lose and bend over, it isn't hated as much. How much paranoia are we allowed, anyway? Can't find the counter.....

[Hautex]

Last time through the Denver airport the TSA guy at the scanner was prick. Then again, if I had to deal with the public all day pretty sure I wouldn't be all chipper either.

After decades of being a customer service boss, after someone was done yelling, I found myself saying: "I sorry, but you're giving me credit for more grief in your life than I'm actually responsible for. Can I help you?" Decided to quit not long after that started falling out of my face... it was time....

[maureen]

I travel light... as light as one can travel who will still carry the body because of its sentimental value!!

(thank you, Christopher Fry)

[Billy Joe Mulgreavey]

The overboard security at the airport gets me sideways.  I no longer fly.  I'd rather hitchhike through Iraq than to put up with that BS.