September 11 Happened In This Decade

These past couple of years have been so oppressive on most of us that’s it’s hard to remember other significant events that happened just a few years ago. As we approach 2010 and we at Xpediant Solutions wish you all a Very Happy and Prosperous New Year, I thought it might be good to take a moment and review the momentous events of this past decade, some of which are emblazoned in our memories forever because they changed the very fabric of our country and others which fizzled out of the news after their 5 minutes of fame.

Do you remember Y2K? The ultimate scare that the country would come to a standstill as the century turned. Yes, that happened in this decade. Turns out nothing happened. Developers raked in millions of dollars in re-programming fees and all was well with the world. 2000 also brought us the presidential nominations of George Bush, Jr. and Al Gore of the Republican and Democratic parties respectively. Year 2000 was the year of hanging ballot chads that caused a vote recount in Florida declaring George Bush, Jr. as the new President.

2001 is the year etched in our memories forever. September 11 happened in 2001. We all remember where we were, what we were doing, and how we felt when two planes collided into the World Trade Center in New York City and killed nearly 3,000 people. America was changed forever. Planes became deadly weapons, travel changed forever, the backbone of the American economy broke down and has cascading effects till today. America attacked Afghanistan in 2001, the Patriot Act was signed, Apple released the iPod and Harry Potter became the most watched movie in the world.

In 2002 the country focused on security. Homeland Security unveiled colored terrorism alerts that we see posted at airports even today. The bombing of an American night club in Bali took place in this year. On a lighter note the American Idol program was released this year and we all became familiar with Simon’s insults and Paula’s gestures.

The highlight of 2003 was Secretary of State Colin Powell’s case against Iraq which urged the President to send troops to fight Saddam. The words “shock” and “awe” became part of our vocabulary as we sat and watched our soldiers obliterate Iraq. We lost and found Saddam Hussein in this year. 2003 also brought us the death of all astronauts aboard the space shuttle Columbia which disintegrated while re-entering the earth’s atmosphere. The SARS scare happened this year and face masks became a fashion statement. In this year Martha Stewart went to prison and her location was nicknamed Camp Cupcake and California elected Arnold Schwarzenegger as its Governor.

Anyone remember John Kerry and Howard Dean? Yes, they campaigned on the democratic ticket, then Kerry flip flopped and Democrats did not stand a chance. Bush, Jr. was re-elected President. 300 people died in a terrorist attack on a train in Madrid, former President Ronald Reagan died at age 93, the world was outraged at the atrocities encountered at the Abu Ghraib prison, ten more Eastern European countries joined the European Union and the Boston Red Sox swept the World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice became the first black woman to hold this post in 2005. Pope John Paul II passed away in April this year, and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was elected president in Iran beating popular Rafsanjani. Those of us in Houston can never forget that Katrina happened this year. Katrina not only impacted New Orleans, it also changed the demographics of Houston forever.

2006 saw the death of another former US President, Gerald Ford who died at 93. 2006 was the year of scandals. Dick Cheney shot hunting partner Harry Whittington, former representative Randy Cunningham went to prison for conspiracy and tax evasion, Representative Mark Foley resigned after sexually explicit emails and instant messages were found in his name, and pastor Ted Haggard admitted to having solicited a male prostitute for sex and drugs.

2007 was characterized by peace, war and dog fighting. Yes, dog fighting. This was the year quarterback Michael Vick was convicted of dog fighting and served 18 months in prison, this is also the year Al Gore and Rajendra Pachauri won the Nobel Peace Prize for their work on combating global warming. In 2007 Brittney Spears finally “lost it” and shaved her heard in front of Paparazzi. In this year Virgina Tech University lost 32 students to a single disturbed student who opened gun fire and Pakistan lost the last of the Bhutto family (Benazir Bhutto) to a bomb attack.

What can we say about 2008? This was the year the economy started to really tank. First Lehman Brothers went bankrupt, then AIG asked for a government bailout whose use came under investigation when lavish managements trips were uncovered on the books. 2008 saw worldwide political upheaval with Fidel Castro resigning in Havana, Cuba, Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe being forced to share his victory with his rival when his victory was considered fraudulent, and former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic was arrested on charges of genocide.

The now famous words “hunker down” did not apply only to our experience with Hurricane Rita but have become synonymous with how we have spent 2009. Most of us have hunkered down; accounted for the things we are thankful for and tightened our belts with the hope for a better year next year. 2009 brought us shock and awe when we heard of Ocatamom and her octuplets, the economy hit American auto makers hard and Detroit became a ghost town, Sarah Palin decided to resign as Governor of Alaska and bask in the media limelight with her “social” activities, balloon boy’s parents apologized for the publicity stunt they tried to pull by alleging their son had flown away in their hot air balloon, but maybe the best thing that has happened to date is that the Health Care Reform bill passed on Christmas Eve with a 60-39 vote. Whether or not this bill will change America’s health care system still remains to be seen.

This article has been excerpted from several videos by Newsweek magazine that highlighted events in this past decade from 2000-2009. If you would like a complete list of all events and author opinions please visit the site at www.newsweek.com

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