Today is December 7 ... Pearl Harbor Day.
December 7, 1941 ... 65 years ago America suffered the worst attack ever on our soil at the hands of the Japanese who conducted a sneak attack on our Naval base in Hawaii.
It was, in the words of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, "a date which will live in infamy."
Or so we thought.
Sixty years later, on September 11, 2001, America came under an even larger attack on our soil ... and it wasn't on an island in the South Pacific.
It was right here on the mainland.
It was in New York City ... and Pennsylvania ... and the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. More people died that day than died in 1941.
And the big difference was ... they were civilians.
Have Americans forgotten Pearl Harbor? Most who are alive to remember are now in their 70s, 80s, and 90s. Many of the survivors have passed away ... the rest are becoming increasingly in frail health.
How on God's green earth do we expect people to remember Pearl Harbor, an event that happened 65 years ago ...
... when many have already forgotten the terror from 9/11 that occurred just a short five years ago?
Have Americans lost their resolve? Their will? Their courage? Their honor? Their willingness to stand up for the home front?
Have we forgotten how to pull together in the face of adversity ... in the face of the rest of the world? Have we allowed the worldview, politically correct elitists to so tie our hands that we aren't even willing to stand up for what we believe in anymore?
In the 12/6/06 issue of the Richmond Times Dispatch on the Op-Ed page were two articles that made me contemplate the connection between the two events.
Roy Martin, President of the Navy League/Richmond Chapter, wrote "Pearl Harbor Remembered: Attack Pulled the U.S. Into WW II".
Eliza Manningham-Buller, head of the British internal security agency M15, wrote Threat Is Serious, Growing, & Will Be With Us for a Generation."
Mr. Martin provides an historical background to the Pearl Harbor attack and comments:
"Sadly, too many Americans today don't recognize, much less remember, what happened, nor how it changed our lives, our country, and the world forever."
I believe that statement can also be applied to 9/11.
Ms. Manningham-Buller stressed the continuous increase of the terrorist threat worldwide, warning that it began well before 9/11/01 and continues today. She stated:
"We now know that the first al-Qaida-related plot against the U.K. was the one we discovered and disrupted in November 2000 in Birmingham. A British citizen is currently serving a long prison sentence for plotting to detonate a large bomb...."
She said M15 knows of 200 terrorist networks consisting of over 1,600 identified individuals who are actively engaged in terrorism worldwide.
She continues:
"In the years after 9/11, with atrocities taking place in Madrid, Casablanca, Bali, Istanbul, and elsewhere, terrorists plotted to mount a string of attacks in the U.K., but were disrupted. This run of domestic success was interrupted tragically in London in July 2005. Since then, the combined efforts of [British intelligence agencies] have thwarted a further five major conspiracies in the U.K., saving many hundreds (possibly even thousands) of lives...."
But in the U.S. we continue to hear the cynics and doubters who beat the constant negative drum against the war in Iraq, against President George W. Bush, against surveillance of suspected terrorists, against our military, and against America.
There are core Americans who do support the President, the war, our military ... but they are the Silent Majority ... the ones without a public voice.
They do not have the mainstream media shouting their message of support from the front pages of newspapers and evening newscasts. They don't have that particular megaphone that is available to the anti-everything crowd who count on the MSM to amplify their message loudly ... and often.
My parents are the World War II generation. They have told me stories of how America pulled together at that time to work as a united front against our enemies. I have studied history from that time period ... heard about the sacrifices, the connection to neighbors, the willingness to sacrifice, the humanity of sharing with others.
The mainstream media at that time was pro-America ... and printed stories of hope, of success during the war, and human stories that made Americans feel proud of their country.
Movie stars in Hollywood signed up for the military. Entertainers supported the war by entertaining the troops, and by making public service announcements encouraging the public to buy government bonds, join the service, and make the best of using rations.
America ... worked as a team.
America ... was united as one.
How wonderful it would be if we heard that same message today.
How wonderful if all Americans joined together to make us feel good about our country, good about being Americans, good about being the most generous country in the world.
Pearl Harbor and 9/11 ... have we forgotten?
7 comments:
[I accidentally deleted the entire post with comments by Observer. Couldn't find a way to contact Observer to ask that comment be resent; am posting here under SWAC Girl.]
Observer said:
You might add to your list of "cynics and doubters who beat the drum against the war in Iraq" the Iraq Study Group, whose bipartisan report is a stinging indictment of the conduct of the war since Saddam fell, a stinging indictment of the administration's characterization of the war, and a set of recommendations which put the lie to everything the Administration had advocated in Iraq.
In World War II we had a President we could trust and an Administration which understood what it would take to defeat the enemy. We won that war.
We are not winning the battle in Iraq. You doubt this? Ask the new Secretary of Defense.
The mindless supporters of this Administration bear a measure of responsibility for their refusal to see the truth. Under the mistaken notion that you are supporting the troops, you have in fact betrayed them by unquestioning support of failed and failing policies.
For shame.
Observer, not surprisingly, I disagree with your assessment.
First, there is such a thing as a "mob mentality." When the mainstream media is hounding on the President on a daily basis, hounding on Don Rumsfeld, parroting the dems who are also hounding on everything that is trying to be done for this war ... a "mob mentality" sets in. "Hear it enough; start to parrot it yourself."
It takes a very strong person to go upstream against the media and dems in this country. Most people want to belong; they don't want to stand out against the crowd.
Second, I'm still studying the "Iraq Study Group" assessment of the war but I will say this: I think they probably got bogged down in the minutia of "studying" so long -- 79 points to consider?? How about coming up with five definite ways to WIN THIS WAR?
Third, in World War II "we had a president we could trust," you said. That would be true of this war, too, if the climate in the country was what it was during that time: patriotic media, positive stories about America, Americans feeling good about themselves, stories in MSM about the good our soldiers are doing in Iraq.
How the hell are we EVER going to win a war when all we hear is negative, negative, negative? No weapons of mass destruction? Yes, there were! Why won't the MSM report on that? We had ample reasons to go into Iraq and, if it had been accurately reported, the "climate" in this country would be entirely different.
Instead, the media feeds the dems/libs by amplifying their message far and wide and often.
During the Clinton years everyone felt wonderful about themselves financially because the media constantly ballyhooed the great economy ... unlike the Bush years when there has been deafening silence about the new high records set on Wall Street, the excellent economic reports, the record low unemployment rates.
In your constant questioning of the President and the troops, you have betrayed them in a way you will never know.
Our military men and women need to see a unified America. They need to know they will finish the mission in victory ... not sulk out in defeat. Morale in Iraq is now reported to be very low after the recent elections.
This "bipartisan" report is suggesting we do as we did in Vietnam - withdraw. That will show the world that, yet again, America can be beaten from within -- defeat us on the home front and you've done us in as far as fighting against the world.
And so the "mob mentality" has set in for America ... and you are on board along with libs and anti-war people nationwide.
You, Observer, are a guilty party in that.
For shame.
Many of the men serving in Iraq tell those of us back home not to watch the news because it's not accurate ... or they say to watch only Fox News because the other MSM refused to share good news from Iraq with the American public.
Some facts for you, Observer.
1) Over 3 1/2 million Iraqi children have been immunized since U.S. overthrew Hussein.
2) As few as 35% of students in Iraq attended school before the war. Now 95% + students attend school.
3) Thousands of schools have been renovated.
4) All hospitals are working and up to speed.
5) Sewer and water lines have been improved/repaired/replaced throughout much of Iraq.
6) Iraqi police being trained to take over law enforcement. Herb Harman of Augusta County, VA, is an MP currently in Baghdad working on that task.
7) U.S. soldiers are teaching students sanitation techniques to prevent the spread of germs.
8) For the first time in 30 years, textbooks don't mention Saddam Hussein.
9) Iraqis are working with U.S. soldiers by offering tips about terrorist insurgents and other things they need to know about.
10) As of March 2006 Iraq was listed as # 4 on an index of political freedom for countries in the Middle East behind Israel, Lebanon, and Morocco.
11) As of April 2006 crude oil production reached 2.14 million barrels a day. In May 2003 it had dropped to 0.3 million barrels a day.
12) Oil revenues have increased from $0.2 billion pre-war to $0.62 billion in April 2006.
13) Iraqi unemployment rate in June 2003 was 50-60%. In April 2006 it had dropped to 25-40%.
14) As of December 2005 other countries had pledged almost $14 billion in reconstruction aid to Iraq.
15) May 2003 - Iraq had no trained judges. October 2005 - 351 judges.
16) As of January 2006 - 64% of Iraqis said country was heading in right direction.
17) As of January 2006 - 77% of Iraqis said removing Hussein was the right thing to do.
18) May 2003 - 7,000-9,000 Iraqi Security Forces. As of March 2006 - 250,500 Iraqi Security Forces.
19) January 2004 - 300-500 foreign terrorists in Iraq. By April 2006 it had increased to between 700-2,000 foreign terrorists.
20) Hussein repeatedly refused to allow inspectors free reign of Iraq and finally closed the doors of the country to all UN inspectors.
21) Hussein tortured and murdered Iraqi citizens. Women were raped, family members disappeared, finger nails were pulled, acid dripped on victims, victims hung from ceiling fans and tortured, denied food and water, limbs broken, decapitation in frontof family members, and much more.
22) Hussein poisoned (murdered) thousands and thousands of Kurds -- citizens of Iraq.
23) Iraqi citizens who criticized Hussein had their tongues cut out.
24) Weapons of mass destruction were trucked into Syria in the months leading up to Operation Iraqi Freedom as shown by satellite photos.
25) Over 500 chemical weapons have been found in Iraq since 2003.
26) Mustard and serin gas have been discovered.
27) Iraqi military jets were uncovered in July 2003 in the desert buried beneath 10 feet of sand and covered with camouflage netting. There were 30-40 planes including MIG-25 and Su-25 ground attack jets.
(http://rightsideva.blogspot.com/2006/01/weapons-of-mass-destruction.html / http://www.snopes.com/photos/military/sandplanes.asp)
28) A member of Saddam's cabinet visited Staunton, VA (Mary Baldwin College), and said Hussein paid terrorists to perform terrorist acts. Direct link to 9/11.
Need I go on? Do your homework. This is just the tip of the iceberg.
Other sources:
http://allthingsconservative.typepad.com/all_things_conservative/2006/05/iraq_index_show.html
http://www.whitehouse.gov/infocus/iraq/decade/sect4.html
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,200499,00.html Fox News
OK, Observer, I'm giving you one more forum on this. You've been at it over 40 years? I haven't done this professionally ... but research is part of my life, a hobby, and part of my teaching background.
FACT: All information I presented is proven and backed by research and facts.
FACT: Don't discount the information from the email ... I used the proven parts of it because it was good information. You would discount it simply because it circulated the internet. Bad move.
FACT: You and I will never agree on this.
We could argue and talk until the cows come home ... I could present my facts and then you could counter with your facts.
The sky is blue ... but exactly what color blue? I say baby blue, you say UNC blue ... and we'd both be correct.
Thanks for the debate.
SWAC Girl 1, Observer 0
what are we doing good in iraq, mr. au courant?
Observer -- didn't even see your comments in the avalanche of email from this morning. Just found it and I still disagree with you. I'm slowly reading the Iraq Study Group report and I wonder why a pompous group like that was asked to "study" the situation ... instead of asking the military men and women who are right there on the ground?
Anyway, all that's being ballyhooed is what the MSM wants us to hear which is, of course, everything negative. I'm pulling out some things that are not being widely reported ... but don't have time to analyze right now. It is the Christmas season and it's busy at SWAC Girl's house!
And, Observer ... you remind me of someone I've wrangled with in emails throughout the years.... New name, same persona? :)
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