One of the more interesting parallels I see is how injecting morality into the matter poisoned everything and ensured terrible policy decisions. How many people and politicians got effectively bullied into going along with the idiotic Iraq war because people on the right accused them of not caring about 9/11 victims?

9/11 victims, granny-killer, same side of a different coin.

Hysteria, paranoia, morality, a plan to keep people "safe" - beware of this dangerous pattern.