--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Ever since 9/11, our intelligence…" description: "\"Ever since 9/11, our intelligence agencies, as part of the 'war on terror,' have expanded their operations to include American citizens. I was 'terrori..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef5/bob-beckel-4887_american_ever-since-9-11-our-intelligence-agencie_726299.jpg" --- # Ever since 9/11, our intelligence agencies, as part of the… ![“Ever since 9/11, our intelligence agencies, as part of the 'war on terror,' have expanded their operations to include American citizens. I was 'terrorized' when I learned that the National Security Agency was intercepting information on Americans.” quote by Bob Beckel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef5/bob-beckel-4887_american_ever-since-9-11-our-intelligence-agencie_726299.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef5/bob-beckel-4887_american_ever-since-9-11-our-intelligence-agencie_726299.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef5/bob-beckel-4887_american_ever-since-9-11-our-intelligence-agencie_726299.jpg) > “Ever since 9/11, our intelligence agencies, as part of the 'war on terror,' have expanded their operations to include American citizens. I was 'terrorized' when I learned that the National Security Agency was intercepting information on Americans.” [Bob Beckel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-beckel/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Post‑9/11 security expansions have broadened surveillance to include citizens, causing public fear and debate over privacy. **In simple terms:** Government spying on Americans increased after 9/11. Key Takeaway Advocate for transparent oversight. Themes privacy security government Mood concerned critical Type political thought‑provoking When to use this quote - public policy debate - legislative reform - media analysis Key Concepts surveillance civil liberties Questions to Reflect On - How should societies limit surveillance? - What safeguards protect civil rights? A Different Perspective Balancing safety and privacy is complex. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Agency Intercepting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/agency-intercepting-5698101/) [American](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american/) [Information](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/information/) [Intelligence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intelligence/) [Intelligence agencies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intelligence-agencies/) [National security](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/national-security/) [Terror Expanded](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terror-expanded-5698100/) [Terrorized](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terrorized-539784/) [Terrorized Learned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terrorized-learned-5698102/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [USA Freedom Act did, however, take away a valuable tool that allowed the National Security Agency and other law - and other intelligence agencies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/usa-freedom-act-did-however-take-away-a-valuable-tool-that-allowed/) [Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/) > [Under the 1991 Intelligence Authorization Act, US intelligence agencies cannot engage in covert actions abroad without a presidential finding that these operations are important…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asha-rangappa/under-the-1991-intelligence-authorization-act-us-intelligence/) [Asha Rangappa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asha-rangappa/) > [That is scary, when you consider what we're doing to children all over the planet. They're the ones who are truly being terrorized by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/that-is-scary-when-you-consider-what-we-re-doing-to-children-all-over/) [Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/) > [Our nation was horrified, but it's not going to be terrorized.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/our-nation-was-horrified-but-it-s-not-going-to-be-terrorized/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [“A state which which includes within itself a terrorized Church has lost its most faithful servant.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-metaxas/a-state-which-which-includes-within-itself-a-terrorized-church-has/) [Eric Metaxas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-metaxas/) > [“Being terrorized by living people seemed to have diminished his fear of the dead”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-boo/being-terrorized-by-living-people-seemed-to-have-diminished-his-fear/) [Katherine Boo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-boo/) > [I think all of us have a sense if we imagine the kind of world we would face if the people who bombed the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-rumsfeld/i-think-all-of-us-have-a-sense-if-we-imagine-the-kind-of-world-we/) [Donald Rumsfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-rumsfeld/) > [I'm terrorized by a fear of failure. Failure is always there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurizio-cattelan/i-m-terrorized-by-a-fear-of-failure-failure-is-always-there/) [Maurizio Cattelan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurizio-cattelan/) > [No matter what these terrorists do, I refuse to be terrorized. All this requires is just a few alterations in our day to day…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cho/no-matter-what-these-terrorists-do-i-refuse-to-be-terrorized-all-this/) [Margaret Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cho/) > [“All the trauma terrorized her feelings. She sensed them harden. Fade. Vanish. Her emotions decayed and disintegrated like a waning timeworn woman would forget…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-j-anderson/all-the-trauma-terrorized-her-feelings-she-sensed-them-harden-fade/) [C.J. Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-j-anderson/) > [Been stuck in airports, terrorized; sent to meetings, hypnotized; overexposed, commercialized. Handle me with care.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-harrison/been-stuck-in-airports-terrorized-sent-to-meetings-hypnotized/) [George Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-harrison/) > [We have been lied to and terrorized by our own government, and it is time to take action.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mellencamp/we-have-been-lied-to-and-terrorized-by-our-own-government-and-it-is/) [John Mellencamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mellencamp/) > [Once the people are terrorized, you can force a police state on them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-brussell/once-the-people-are-terrorized-you-can-force-a-police-state-on-them/) [Mae Brussell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-brussell/) > [Society feeds terror and is in turn terrorized; we are afraid to lose, so we consume.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-jodorowsky/society-feeds-terror-and-is-in-turn-terrorized-we-are-afraid-to-lose/) [Alejandro Jodorowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-jodorowsky/) > [“I suddenly recalled that it was here in the squalor and gloom of this sunken street, terrorized perhaps by a premonition of the future,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/i-suddenly-recalled-that-it-was-here-in-the-squalor-and-gloom-of-this/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) ## More by Bob Beckel > [I do oppose repealing Obamacare, because it's working for growing numbers of previously uninsured Americans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-beckel/i-do-oppose-repealing-obamacare-because-it-s-working-for-growing/) [Bob Beckel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-beckel/) > [Anger in the black community towards Republicans is established and immutable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-beckel/anger-in-the-black-community-towards-republicans-is-established-and/) [Bob Beckel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-beckel/) > [The hardest-hit taxpayers in our disgraceful tax system are those folks who pack Trump's rallies, especially in hard-hit Rust Belt states like Ohio and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-beckel/the-hardest-hit-taxpayers-in-our-disgraceful-tax-system-are-those/) [Bob Beckel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-beckel/) > [Some days I feel like I'm only the fire hydrant to Westminster dog show.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-beckel/some-days-i-feel-like-i-m-only-the-fire-hydrant-to-westminster-dog/) [Bob Beckel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-beckel/) > [We've come a long way from the days of Jim Crow, and yes, we elected a black president, but racism lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-beckel/we-ve-come-a-long-way-from-the-days-of-jim-crow-and-yes-we-elected-a/) [Bob Beckel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-beckel/) > [Charter schools are not a panacea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-beckel/charter-schools-are-not-a-panacea/) [Bob Beckel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-beckel/) > [Jim Crow laws stripped blacks of basic rights. Despite landmark civil rights laws, many public schools were still segregated, blacks still faced barriers to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-beckel/jim-crow-laws-stripped-blacks-of-basic-rights-despite-landmark-civil/) [Bob Beckel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-beckel/) > [Like many other Americans, I'm tired of the U.S. taxpayer paying for foreign wars, especially when the countries we defend have raked in huge…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-beckel/like-many-other-americans-i-m-tired-of-the-u-s-taxpayer-paying-for/) [Bob Beckel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-beckel/) > [It should be mandatory that any tax breaks go through appropriate committees and be voted on separately by both the House of Representatives and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-beckel/it-should-be-mandatory-that-any-tax-breaks-go-through-appropriate/) [Bob Beckel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-beckel/) > [Where most politicians would have abandoned a supporter like Jeremiah Wright and the community he served, Obama, while strongly criticizing him, did not throw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-beckel/where-most-politicians-would-have-abandoned-a-supporter-like-jeremiah/) [Bob Beckel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-beckel/) > [I came from a dysfunctional family - very dysfunctional. And my father used to find great humor in throwing me down the stairs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-beckel/i-came-from-a-dysfunctional-family-very-dysfunctional-and-my-father/) [Bob Beckel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-beckel/) > [As a former presidential campaign manager, I remember the final week of the campaign as being the longest and most important week of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-beckel/as-a-former-presidential-campaign-manager-i-remember-the-final-week/) [Bob Beckel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-beckel/) > [In the 1990s, the Democratic Party began to cozy up to their long-time enemies: Wall Street Bankers. They took their money and relaxed their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-beckel/in-the-1990s-the-democratic-party-began-to-cozy-up-to-their-long-time/) [Bob Beckel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-beckel/) > [My pop culture ended somewhere north of Elvis but not too far.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-beckel/my-pop-culture-ended-somewhere-north-of-elvis-but-not-too-far/) [Bob Beckel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-beckel/) > [I have never analyzed a presidential election as much as I did the Trump-Clinton race of 2016.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-beckel/i-have-never-analyzed-a-presidential-election-as-much-as-i-did-the/) [Bob Beckel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-beckel/) [Explore all 104 Bob Beckel quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-beckel/) ## More American quotes > [I wasn't attracted to American cinema, but I fell in love with Los Angeles the minute I arrived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-varda/i-wasn-t-attracted-to-american-cinema-but-i-fell-in-love-with-los/) [Agnes Varda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-varda/) > [William Maxwell's my favorite North American writer, I think. And an Irish writer who used to write for 'The New Yorker' called Maeve Brennan,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/william-maxwell-s-my-favorite-north-american-writer-i-think-and-an/) [Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) > [I have fallen in love with American names, the sharp names that never get fat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-vincent-benet/i-have-fallen-in-love-with-american-names-the-sharp-names-that-never/) [Stephen Vincent Benet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-vincent-benet/) > [I really like a lot of American country stuff, so my music has that influence, but I don't like to be set within a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jade-bird/i-really-like-a-lot-of-american-country-stuff-so-my-music-has-that/) [Jade Bird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jade-bird/) > [I certainly don't think that the heirs of the American Revolution were a particularly noble class.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-w-brands/i-certainly-don-t-think-that-the-heirs-of-the-american-revolution/) [H. W. Brands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-w-brands/) > [Congress passed the American Rescue Plan Act in a tremendous investment to support millions of workers without a paycheck and behind on bills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-auchincloss/congress-passed-the-american-rescue-plan-act-in-a-tremendous/) [Jake Auchincloss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-auchincloss/) > [Small businesses are the backbone of the American economy and employ almost half of the working population. Yet because of their size, they rarely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-lipinski/small-businesses-are-the-backbone-of-the-american-economy-and-employ/) [Dan Lipinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-lipinski/) > [Although I write in English, and despite the fact that I'm from America, I consider myself an Armenian writer. The words I use are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-saroyan/although-i-write-in-english-and-despite-the-fact-that-i-m-from/) [William Saroyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-saroyan/) > [When we first sold the Wallace and Gromit shorts to America, people suggested we get rid of the strange British accents and put clear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-park/when-we-first-sold-the-wallace-and-gromit-shorts-to-america-people/) [Nick Park](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-park/) > [Firefighters and rescue workers are American superheroes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-kennedy/firefighters-and-rescue-workers-are-american-superheroes/) [Kerry Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-kennedy/) > [France has not only built a bureaucratic barrier against American culture, it has constructed a notorious intellectual case against it as well. The French…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-cowen/france-has-not-only-built-a-bureaucratic-barrier-against-american/) [Tyler Cowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-cowen/) > [New York and San Francisco are distinctly different. San Francisco is driving the American media, not New York. You have young, microwaved millionaires and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-whitlock/new-york-and-san-francisco-are-distinctly-different-san-francisco-is/) [Jason Whitlock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-whitlock/) > [Well look, CIA is an agency that has to collect intelligence, do operations. We have to take risks and it's important that we take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-panetta/well-look-cia-is-an-agency-that-has-to-collect-intelligence-do/) [Leon Panetta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-panetta/) > [Food as a hobby used to be an elite pastime, and it has become something that is totally ordinary for people of every background.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-goodyear/food-as-a-hobby-used-to-be-an-elite-pastime-and-it-has-become/) [Dana Goodyear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-goodyear/) > [It's important for American soldiers to be culturally sensitive when deployed in foreign countries. But it's just as important for the U.S. never to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-bauer/it-s-important-for-american-soldiers-to-be-culturally-sensitive-when/) [Gary Bauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-bauer/) [Browse all 7,717 American quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Ever since 9/11, our intelligence agencies, as part of the 'war on terror,' have expanded their operations to include American citizens. I was 'terrorized' when I learned that the National Security Agency was intercepting information on Americans.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Bob Beckel" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-beckel/ever-since-9-11-our-intelligence-agencies-as-part-of-the-war-on/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "American" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-beckel/ever-since-9-11-our-intelligence-agencies-as-part-of-the-war-on/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef5/bob-beckel-4887_american_ever-since-9-11-our-intelligence-agencie_726299.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef5/bob-beckel-4887_american_ever-since-9-11-our-intelligence-agencie_726299.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef5/bob-beckel-4887_american_ever-since-9-11-our-intelligence-agencie_726299.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Ever since 9/11, our intelligence agencies, as part of the 'war on terror,' have expanded their operations…” — Bob Beckel", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Bob Beckel", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-beckel/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Ever since 9/11, our intelligence agencies,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-beckel/ever-since-9-11-our-intelligence-agencies-as-part-of-the-war-on/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-beckel/ever-since-9-11-our-intelligence-agencies-as-part-of-the-war-on/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```