The Year in Review—August

The Nation | Top news stories for August, 2002 | Bob Jones

Did we learn our lessons?

In August, anticipating the one-year anniversary of the worst-ever attack on America, the news media featured nearly wall-to-wall stories on terrorism and its aftermath.

Finger-pointing was inescapable. In New York, a major study commissioned by the city concluded that old turf battles between the police and fire departments may have resulted in unnecessary loss of life.

Often, the finger-pointing was accompanied by grumbling. Local police officials across the country accused the FBI of hoarding information such as background checks that could help them increase security in their hometowns. Things were no better in the air. Amid reports that scores of sky marshals had quit because of poor working conditions, a group of disgruntled marshals threatened a class-action suit against the government.