What a Difference 65 Years Makes
No need to rehash the time and date...we all know it-or should. But what I find myself thinking about today is how vastly different we, as a country, are now.
65 years can be a lifetime or just a drop in the bucket, depending on what you are comparing. 65 years ago we didn't hesistate to do what HAD to be done, and the world was better for it, at least temporarily.
What the hell has happened to us?
I've known some Pearl Harbor vets. And even into their 70's and 80's they were hesistant to speak of that day. They could tell you of youthful, silly pranks and wild stuff that happened during shore leave during that time leading up to it, but the actually attack? One old feller I once knew would only say "I lost alot of good friends that day." and then he glanced away, his old man's eyes welling up. We just left it at that. His memories too sorrowful to speak of any further and the likes of which I can never imagine.
Back then political correctness was unheard of. We weren't hamstrung by it and all the second guessing and pussyfooting it causes. We went out, kicked ass, and did what had to be done. End of story.
September 11th, 2001 was immediately labeled "the Pearl Harbor of our time". OK, I'll buy that...it was, but the reaction has been soooo different.
At Pearl, a lot of good men in service to their country died. That was always part of the bargain when you signed on the line and took the oath. That maybe you could be killed or be forever maimed. They knew this.
The folks at the World Trade Towers were civilians. They had no reason to think that that day would be their last. And we lost more people that day than at Pearl. And most of us saw it unfurl, in real time, on our t.v.'s. Unedited, unfiltered.
And yet...that wasn't enough it would seem.
We're the bad guys.
We're the facists.
We're the nazis.
We're the "haters". (how friggin' grade school is THAT label?)
What the screaming blue bloody hell has happened to us??!
Political correctness has castrated us to the point of death.
I can't dare to think what it will take to rally us for the long haul, as one nation as we did back in 1941, if 9/11 couldn't.
Misha has put in his two cents-as I knew he would- on the anniversary, in his usual no holds barred style.
posted by white trash republican at Thursday, December 07, 2006
5 Comments:
Unfortunately...I think we all know the answer to that question...we think it...but don't say it...
Good read Liz...
I hope it never comes to that.
It's gonna be one fuggered up world we leave to the younguns.
But we were united immediately after 9/11, but somebody (not mentioning any names now) messed it up. Didn't finish the job in Afghanistan, and made a mess out of the war in Iraq,which had nothing to do with 9/11. We should have made Afghanistan into a model of democracy by now. If we had devoted our resources to that, people would feel different by now.
Then, maybe after we did that, we could have done something about Iraq, if it was really necessary. But at least Afghanistan would have been a functioning, probably successful democracy,we may have went on to get Bin Laden (another botched operation at Tora Bora that never should have happenned), and we would have had a much stronger hand than we do now in dealing with other despots. They would have got the message. Mess with us, and you lose big time.
People are only going to stay united for so long in the face of tragedy, after so long, they expect results from their elected officials. Not constant screw-ups.
Can't argue much with that, Pagan.
We as a nation, and especially our annoited leaders, went off the Ritalin big time.
But I do feel that is in large part to the suffocating constraints of political correctness.
If we could have gone balls to the wall without having to worry about hurtin' anyones widdle feelings we would have been further along than we are now.
I mean, jeez, they all hate us anyway...even before 9/11, so wtf?
It was the sainted FDR that greenlighted internment camps for the JapaneseAmericans way back when...holy mutha of gawd, imagine the firestorm of fuggertude that would have erupted if Dub had suggested that for Middle Eastern folks living here?
Excellent post.
I needed a Kleenex when I read it.
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