Shortly after 9/11, my mother said: Oh, God, we are such a nation of scab pickers

[cali]

Inartful yes, but I knew exactly what she meant. She meant that we'll act as if this is the worst thing that ever happened in the world and feed off of it for years, and that self-pity and sense of American exceptionalism is a dangerous thing for the country. She was spot on of course. In retrospect, it's not hard to see that the terrorists (yes, I know many of you don't believe in the official story) or whoever, won a significant victory in that we've sloughed off freedom in the name of security.

And I agree with dear old Ma; a lot of it comes down to that we really are a nation of scab pickers.