Reaction after Pearl Harbor and The Reaction after 9/11

[Minuteman]

I was thinking that Pearl Harbor and 9/11 had many similarities.  One of the biggest was the suddeness of the attacks and the massive loss of life.  They both took place in the early morning hours.  Both 12/7/41 and 9/11/01 were beautiful days.  Both attacks resulted in war.  Both presidents vowed revenge.  Both days people died in ways nobody should die.  Both days happened because the United States showed weakness prior to those attacks and the attacks happened because we didn't want to face the reality that there are those in the world who hate us and would destroy us.  Both days resulted in families being devestated in unimaginible ways.   Parents lost sons and daughters.  Children lost mothers and fathers.  Brothers, sisters, best friends, uncles, aunts, superiors and subordinates, entire crews and companies:  lost.  12/8/41 and 9/12/01 were days where the devestation clean up had to be started, and a realization had to be made that things weren't going to be the same anymore.  Both attacks inspired massive patriotism.  Both attacks cause approximately 3,000 deaths each.  It seems as if Americans learn the hard way.  There was only one notable difference between the 2 attacks.  After Pearl Harbor people seemed to express more outrage and fury and less sadness, and after 9/11 there was less outrage and fury and more sadness.  During World War II people signed up immediately.  Lines went for blocks at recruiting stations.  Housewife banned together to help build bombs, tanks, ships and other instruments of war.  People had the mentality that we will not rest until the enemy is completely defeated and destroyed.  Compassion for the enemy was an unknown topic.  People got energetic.  They used images of Pearl Harbor to remind themselves why we were fighting.  12/7/41 was a "Day of Infamy."  Not to say people didn't mourn the losses, but no one wanted anyone who died at Pearl Harbor to die in vain.  Now after 9/11, (and I say this with the utmost respect and condolences for the families who lost a loved one on 9/11),  there was outrage, and people wanted the terrorists to be brought to justice.  Those lost were mourned and people waived flags to show their patriotism, as it should be.  Then, I personally feel, 9/11 started to be forgotten, because people didn't want there to be any war any more, that too many lives were lost already.  They want to accuse Bush of starting a bad war, "that enough was enough".  "Let's get out of Iraq and Afghanistan.  The terrorist are gone."  The mistreatment of American killing terrorist at Abu Grab and Guantanamo Bay became a human rights crisis.  People just want to waive the flag, lay memorial wreaths and mourn.  But this generation does not have the will to do what the WWII generation had, the will to mercilessly destroy the enemy completely.  To devestate an entire population of people who support the destruction of your country.  When the atom bombs were dropped on Japan, the people of the US had no problem doing this to the Japanese people, because the Japanese people supported the attack on Pearl Harbor.  When we dropped bombs on German cities and set these cities on fire to the point where the streets themselves burst into flames, the American people supported the effort.  There was no compassion for the enemy.  Today, well we have the Afghan people to worry about, the Saudis, the Iranians, the Iraqi people who "want democracy?", the Pakastanis' who were on our side the whole time dispite the fact that they harboured, protected, and assisted Al Queda and the Taliban.  Bottom line, Americans are very concerned about the welfare of people who support our destruction.  I mean let's not judge here.  We have leaders who worry about what Europe thinks.  After all we want to look good in the eyes of those who feel America has no right to defend herself.  A normal reaction from the American people would have been a demand for nothing less than the complete destruction of Al Queda and all who support them through any means necessary.  If it meant ripping apart countries like Pakistan to find them, giving orders to our military to shoot to kill, and subjecting members of the Magnificent 19 fan club to unimaginable horrors, that would have been a normal response by American for the horrors of 9/11.  There should have been severe devestation to countries who supported 9/11.  But we as Americans no longer can stomach that sort of thing.  We'd rather watch American Idol while eating fudge ice cream, and once a year waive the American flag and cry at a memorial.  We'd rather play this game that 9/11 was a once in a lifetime incident and that there will be no more attacks on American soil.  We'd rather play this game that if we "overreact" we'll be just like the Nazis.  I'm real sick of hearing that one.  We as American better wake up fast and start acting the way Our Founding Fathers would act in our situation. 

[ebode]

I felt this way for a very long time.  My entire high school career was focused on becoming an officer in the military and doing all that I could to make those resposible pay, and dearly.  Unfortunately, by the time I was looking down that road, there was no support whatsoever for someone who wanted to join "the war machine".  I try time and again to remember 9/11 on a day that isn't in september, and it seems the whole world has just forgotten.

Now, I do feel lucky that I did not join the military, because democratic regimes treat them like crap (future budget cuts?  Military salaries!).  I only wish our nation was smarter, more determined and less concerned what our neighbors in Europe think about us.

Oh, and I hate American Idol, because I believe it was concieved simply to get our minds off of what is going on outside our doors.

[ag337]

MinuteMan,

You have presented a very good point.
People in the U.S.A. are getting so caught up in being politically correct and making sure human rights of their enemies are not being trampled on; and in the process are making our Great Nation vulnerable to more attacks on U.S. soil.

What has happened, is that people have lost sight of what has happened on 9/11. 
And, that is a very dangerous thing, because it allows our enemies to regroup, plan, and attack the U.S.A. again.

[drlmg]

I agree with you guys... Unfortunately people are more concerned with nonsense like American Idol than they are their own freedom. I know so many people that have absolutely no clue as to what goes on in the world any given day. They don't even care either. As long as they can go home and watch TV they are happy. They may get little bits of news that is almost always one sided liberal crap and they base their whole perspective on a slogan or a sentence or two fed to them by morons on tv shows. They then use this "knowledge" to objectively vote their (un)conscience.