June 23, 2026
Patriot Act, plot twist
How the war on terror primed America for autocracy
Commenters say America traded freedom for fear — and saw this ending coming
TLDR: The article argues that the fear and power grabs after 9/11 helped set the stage for January 6 and a more authoritarian America. Commenters mostly aren’t shocked — they’re furious, saying this was warned about for years and sold with panic, patriotism, and bad propaganda.
Rosa Brooks’ argument is blunt: the path from 9/11 to January 6 wasn’t some shocking detour, it was a road America started paving the moment fear became public policy. But in the comments, readers aren’t reacting like this is a fresh bombshell — they’re reacting like it’s the most predictable plot twist ever. The loudest mood is basically: “We told you so.” One person dropped an archived link like a receipt. Another said the warning signs were obvious when the Patriot Act — the post-9/11 law that expanded government surveillance and police powers — got passed and then renewed again and again.
And wow, the anger is not subtle. Commenters describe the so-called war on terror as mass murder, pillaging, and propaganda dressed up as safety. One says America “permanently traded away basic freedoms for the bogus promise of safety,” while another recalls feeling like the whole country “went off into crazyland together.” That’s the real drama here: not whether fear changed America, but whether the public willingly helped it happen.
There’s also a darkly funny streak running through the thread. The most savage joke? That “crying eagle photos in chain-emails” were enough to sell away civil liberties. Ouch. Even the history nerds joined the pile-on, arguing the founders warned about endless foreign wars leading to less freedom at home. Translation: commenters think this wasn’t just avoidable — it was practically in the manual.
Key Points
- •Rosa Brooks argues that the aftermath of 9/11 is directly connected to the events of January 6th.
- •The article presents the post-9/11 “war on terror” as a factor that helped prepare America for autocratic tendencies.
- •Brooks opens the piece with a personal account of hearing about the 9/11 attacks while listening to National Public Radio on her way to work.
- •She describes widespread shock in her office, with people crying, gathering around screens, and watching repeated footage of the attacks.
- •The excerpt frames 9/11 as both a national trauma and a political turning point in modern American history.