"Certain traumatic historical moments such as “the Alamo” and “Pearl Harbor” have become code words—almost mnemonic devices—for reinforcing the remembrance of American victimization at the hands of nefarious antagonists. Thomas Jefferson and his peers actually established the baseline for this in the nation’s founding document, the Declaration of Independence, which enshrines recollection of “the merciless Indian Savages”—a self-righteous demonization that turned out to be boilerplate for a succession of later perceived enemies. “September 11” has taken its place in this deep-seated invocation of violated innocence, with an intensity bordering on hysteria."