THOUGHT OF THE DAY: September 11th vs. December 7th
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Which event got Americans madder; December 7th or September 11th?

For someone who has only lived through one of these dates, it's hard to say. In the case of December 7th, America declared all out War on Japan and fought for 4 years to defeat Imperial Japan, ultimately dropping two nuclear weapons on Japan to win. America also declared War on Nazi Germany at the same time (mostly because of Peal Harbor), sending the US to war in Europe as well. It was a strong reaction to a vile action.

In the case of September 11th, there was no formal Declaration of War against any country, but against a terrorist group. America has gone openly into at least two countries to combat terrorism, ousting a repressive regime in the first and the despotic ruler of the second. Two years into the war on Terror, we are still wondering to what lengths with the current US Administration go to finish the fight?

One could easily argue that comparing the two events is not a valid exercise, but is that not necessarily true. One was a country attacking the US military. The other was a terrorist group attacking a civilian target. One caused the USA to enter the Second World War while the other cased the USA to enter the War on Terrorism.

From the standpoint of the effect on America, I would argue that these atrocities are little different. Once again we are at war. Once again we were attacked on our home soil. Once again it was out of the blue. And once again we are taking the fight to the attackers.

The differences really are just something that shows the signs of the times. Now we are fighting a faceless foe that is international in scope, informal in membership, shifting in location and fully networked. Before we were fighting a fascist imperial regime based in one country, with formal fighting institutions which had a definite personality.

One would hazard to say that the Peal Harbor Attack and the Destruction of the World Trade Center had a effect of the same magnitude for world events. But the effect of these events on America and the World easily places them in the same arena. What differentiates them is the elements of each event's period in history, what makes them the same is their viciousness.