If there’s one thing we’ve learned in the half-dozen years since the fateful events of September 11, 2001 it’s that the war on terror is a conundrum. Whether at home or abroad, the efforts to protect ourselves – which should be more appropriately labeled "the war on Islamic Fascism" - are fraught with contrasts, an endless series of truth and lies and action and inaction. Because of this it has become increasingly difficult to readily identify what has, is, and will occur from the onslaught on Western Society.

For as much as we average people might be confused, our government is much more so. There are extensive limiting factors placed upon effectiveness of this war. Time, money, personnel, reason and philosophy all intertwine to create a veritable can of worms and countless unanswered questions for the government. Do we carry out this war on our soil or overseas? How do we determine who’s most apt to conduct a terror attack? How do we strengthen our borders? What is the best way to protect targets, both hard and soft? How do we approach security in a politically-manner? How do we quell citizens’ concerns? Is terror a reality for the future or are we just living in fear?

It’s this cornucopia of questions that has caused our society to grant some semblance of victory to the terrorists. Terror acts are an atypical method of warfare; rather than outright demolishing a nation and its people, terrorists instead use the psychology of fear and the unknown to bring the enemy to its knees by creating internal strife and interpersonal conflict while initiating vast defensive expenditures.

The September 11^th attacks have done just that.

In the big picture of things the people of America did surprisingly well in rising from the ashes, commendably pushing forward and showing that our people are something special. But, in contrast, the sociopolitical foundation of our great nation took a huge hit. By having to paint with a wide brushstroke to address the mass confusion alluded to above, the government has eroded our liberties and Constitutional rights in the name of security. Because of the disaster we – average, everyday people - have seen our mail opened, our phone lines tapped, our travels watched, our financial records canvassed, our belongings searched, our privacy invaded and, in many urban areas, our very goings-on observed by a seen and unseen police state. Much to the opposition of our founding principles and the very definition of America, the terror of Islamic fascism has caused our nation to adopt fascism of its own, a strong, centralized style government creating and forcing upon its people its own brand of overly-intrusive social order.

This overbearing style of security has also stretched our dollars thin, just as the terrorists had intended. By having to macro- and micro-manage our security, our government has operated beyond its means. The real war (our overseas military action) has cost the US more than $440 billion. The expenditures on our soil are just as vast. The federal homeland security budget is now in excess of $46 billion per year. Local and state taxing jurisdictions invest untold billions every year in an effort to shore up their defenses and preparedness. Looking out for their security and governmental edicts, the private sector has followed suit, with businesses, too, dedicating huge sums to terror prevention.

All is not bad amidst this trauma. We can look at it as a mixed bag of success. We are a proud and vigilant people and can claim a huge victory against terror, just look at how our lives, economy, and travels have progressed since that day. We persevered and grew, and that’s something to be proud of. But, the mass confusion, the trade-off of liberty for security, and the overuse of public and private funds still constitute victories for the terrorists. Out of just one utterly venomous day six years ago, the deviant Islamic Fascists set off a domino effect that has chipped away at America in ways that most people don’t see, realize or care about. Unfortunately, by time they finally do realize what they’ve given away it will be too late. It probably already is.