By Tan Xinmu     

    WASHINGTON, Sept. 8 (Xinhuanet) -- Three years after the Sept. 11 terrorist attack, the barrier-encircled White House remains closed to visitors, and the National Mall across the Constitution Avenue is fenced off by a newly-erected concrete wall.

    They are not the only things in Washington that were changed by the Sept. 11 event.

    "I think twice before I go to any large gatherings," said a retired chief judge of the Federal Communications Commission, having coffee at a Starbucks Coffee several blocks from the White House. "I did not go to the July 4th celebrations this year because I was apprehensive," she said, referring to the Independence Day of the United States.

    The lady, who insisted on anonymity, said one of her sons is a lawyer whose major clients are foreign airlines. Since the United States stopped some of those airlines from flying in after the Sept. 11 attack, his son's business was seriously affected, she said, refusing to name any of those foreign airlines.

    The former chief judge, a Democrat, said she understands most of the security measures have been taken by the government to protect American airports and borders, although some measures cause "a lot of hassle." But she said she was concerned that the Patriot Act is taking away people's freedom, adding: "I'm afraid the United States is not as free and as open as before."

    The Patriot Act, approved by Congress soon after the Sept. 11 event to deal with terrorism, has been widely criticized for giving the law enforcement agencies too much power to wiretap on and detain people in the United States.

    "Because of the Patriot Act, my wife could be a 'danger'," said an environmentalist who only gave his first name, Jim. "She could be taken away tomorrow and put in jail in a place I could not find.Because of what? Because she is not an American citizen. She is a Danish."

    Jim said that after the Sept. 11 event, the Justice Department detained 1,700 people, most of them Muslims, without any charges. "This could happen to me, too," he said.

    Asked if he feels safer three years after the terrorist attack,Jim said the opposite is true. "It's becoming much more dangerous,especially after the war in Iraq," he said. "Before the war, therewas no one in Iraq who was threatening us. But now, Iraq has become a breeding ground for terrorism and there are terrorists all over the place."

    What's the best solution to terrorism? "The first thing to do is to treat the Palestinians and the Israelis even-handedly," Jim said. "If the United States recognized all the rights of the Palestinians as well as those of the Israelis, then most of the Middle East nations would change their view of us. But the Bush administration did not want to do that."

    "The United States would be a real danger to the rest of the world if it went on in this direction," Jim said. In his opinion, the government should take "reasonable steps" in the country to deal with the threat of terrorism, rather than turning the United States into "a garrison state."

    Drinking at a table outside the cafe, Sam Ferris, a former restaurant owner who called himself a Republican, said he supportsthe security measures the government is taking at all airports. "We were very relaxed before. We need to have more strict security measures."

    Ferris said the Sept. 11 event did not significantly change his way of life. "Physically, a little bit more security, yeah. A little bit more peer, yeah. But it did not change the way of my doing business." Ferris closed his restaurant two months ago because he was "tired of it."

    Although a supporter of President George W. Bush, Ferris warned that the administration should be more careful with the Patriot Act.

    "What people like the United States the most and we brag about the most is the system of law, freedom of speech, and the protection of fundamental privacy," Ferris said. "They really haveto be careful since the Patriot Act is infringing on people's privacy and individual liberty."

    "I don't find myself free to talk like I used to," he said. "You have to be careful who is listening. The people are more emotional and irrational than we were before."

    "Next Sept. 11 attack? It's possible, but I don't know. When will the fear get to an end? I don't know," Ferris said. Looking at a police car passing by with its siren on, Ferris asked the correspondent: "Do you know?" Enditem