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December 7, 2005

Outdated Outrage

If you ask alot of people what today is, most would likely respond that it's Wednesday, or December 7th, or 28 days until Christmas. Younger students might not know anything beyond that, older folk could tell you that it's Pearl Harbor Day, a day that will live in infamy.

I looked up the word infamy and it's described in Webster's dictionary as an "evil reputation brought about by something grossly criminal, shocking, or brutal" and "an extreme and publicly known criminal or evil act." I think the surprise attack that brought us into WWII with it's wide swath of death and destruction could be considered infamous. The American citizenry was solidified into actions that included sending young men and women into harm's way, sacrificing personal comforts, women going to work, and recycling on a grand scale. Who wouldn't have loved a chocolate bar or a pair of silk stockings or new tires? We couldn't believe that any nation would have the nerve to come against us. Well, they did and we were outraged. We immediately went to war in two theaters and fought long and hard for 4 years.

Today, with the equally infamous attack at the World Trade Center, we're outraged, but not enough to commit our whole military. We're sacrificing, but squealing over the price of gas. We've gone to work, but many have been replaced with their jobs being moved to foreign countries who don't necessarily agree with us and aren't willing to do battle with us against our enemies. Recycling is still being done mostly by "tree huggers" and I stand guilty as can be on this issue. I'm not just throwing rocks at other people.

Maybe infamy is a word lost in the search to understand what prompts such behavior. Maybe outrage is better described as hate. Maybe we're becoming lemmings after all in the quest for political correctness. It is possible to have become that desensitized? What does that auger for the world my grandchildren will live in? I'm grateful for the sacrifices made by the Generation that Saved the World. If you're out there, I salute you on this infamous day.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Outdated Outrage:

Here Here. We need to remember December 7, 1941, the day that lives in infamy, as well as September 11, 2001. We need to remember and thank the Generation that Saved the World. We need to watch the movies, read the books and fully understand what sacrifice and ingenuity it took to win World War II. We also need to remember, whenever we are at war, that we are fighting for freedom. Because if we lose, then we will lose our freedom, even if it's bit by bit rather than instantaneously.We in America have freedom of speech. We also have the responsibility to discipline ourselves, our speech and unite in times of war. Patriotism is not partisan.