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"December 7, 1941 a day which will live in infamy". These were the words of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, our 32nd president, as he addressed congress on December 8th about the surprise attack by the forces of the Empire of Japan on Pearl Harbor. The series of two attacks that Sunday morning cost us the lives of over 2,000 of our citizens and plunged us into a World War that continued for nearly four years and cost the world over 20 million lives.

The people of our nation were shocked and deeply angered by this attack. That generation of citizens pulled together and steeled themselves with resolve to see the end of facism despite the cost. They endured rationing, pronounced changes in their ability to do as they pleased, to say whatever they desired, and the loss of loved ones. They rose to the occasion so completely that future generations would call them "The Greatist Generation".

Granted, mistakes were made. Our American-Japanese citizens on the west coast were wrongly interned. Some American-Germans and American-Italians were harassed. The emotions were very high and Americans were alarmed to the point they expected Japanese landings on the west coast and Hawaii. We were terribly unprepared for WW II, but as a nation we drew together and fought an enemy that sought territotial gains through armed aggression.

December 7, 2001 we find ourselves in another war. Again we are attacked without warning by an enemy, but there the similarity ends. This attack is promulgated by an enemy who seeks our very destruction as a culture. Who uses any weapon, no matter how terrible to strike at us and not only doesn't care if the innocent are killed, but preferentially targets the innocent for terror effect. We have seen our transportation systems converted to populated smartbombs. Our postal system converted to a delivery system for biological weapons. It is likely this new enemy has obtained spent fuel rods from nuclear power plants to use as Radiological Dispersion Devices by packing explosives around the nuclear material, creating nuclear fallout to contaminate an area after an explosion is set off.

This enemy has shown a talent, both here and in Israel, to maximize the yield of death to the innocent by timing his attacks to the times when many people will be present. This enemy also has shown a talent for targeting rescue workers that respond to his attacks with followup attacks timed to kill those people who are trying to recover the dead and treat the wounded. This enemy hates us unlike no enemy I can think of in our history. It is a Grave New World with such people in it.

Again we draw together with our fellow citizens, and our allies to face this threat. Another generation rises to the call of duty. Enlistments in the armed forces are at a point surpassed only in WW II. This generation of young people has sought a purpose visibly for the past several years. We have all seen their protests seeking economic justice in the world, railing against the wrong doings they perceive in our society. I find comfort in the fact that these young people are passionate in their beliefs about justice, and they are skilled in the use of technology. Perhaps we are seeing a cause that is giving this generation reason to draw together and step forward to combat this threat. If so future generations will look at this one and call them as great as our Greatist Generation. I have much hope they will also expect equitable treatment of other peoples in our world once this conflict is finished. Clearly we have advanced as a people since that attack 60 years ago. The future surely holds much to be hopeful about.

 

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Last Updated 12/07/01

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