By Anna Schroder and Felix Oelmann,
When the twin towers of the World Trade Center collapsed within a few minutes in the morning hours of September 11, they not only buried almost 3,000 people, but also the American belief in their own invulnerability. The shock is deep. The self-image of the Americans has been shaken so permanently that the massive security measures adopted to "protect against terrorism" have met with broad approval, both from the two major parties and from most of the population.
Shortly after the attacks in New York and Washington, US President George W. Bush declared internal security to be the government’s top priority. Nine days later, he made then-Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge head of the newly created Department of Homeland Security. On October 26, 2001, Bush signed the Patriot Act, a law to "unite and strengthen America by enacting appropriate measures to combat terrorism." The bill was passed with just a few votes against by the House of Representatives and the Senate.