"The reality is the police become necessary in human society only at that junction in human society where it is split between those who have and those who ain't got."
The Sep 11 plane attacks that destroyed the World Trade Center in NYC have shocked people around the world, as rescue teams work to locate bodies and return the city to some semblance of normalcy. Financial markets are plummeting. Thousands perished in the WTC and Pentagon attacks (the Red Cross and other blood centers can still use blood donations). Read a 9/11 summary of events.

There is growing concern about unchecked militarization in a climate of fear and hostility. Colin Powell stated that: "We're building a strong coalition to go after these perpetrators, but more broadly to go after terrorism wherever we find it in the world. It's a scourge not only against the United States, but against civilization, and it must be brought to an end." The US Senate passed the Combating Terrorism Act of 2001, giving the police and FBI sweeping new powers of surveillance. Already, the FBI has been visiting ISPs - requesting to use the "Carnivore" spying utility on their lines - shutting down websites. A new fast-moving house bill, much of it unrelated to fighting "terrorism," aims to restrict liberties even further. Facial recognition systems are being studied for use in airports.