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My personal musings about anything that gets on my radar screen--heavily dominated by politics.

2005-09-11

In Memoriam . . . America

I find myself, this evening, on the fourth anniversary of the most effective attack in an ongoing war against America, I find myself saddened.

First of all, this day went by with precious little acknowledgement in the "real world". Churches, the History Channel, the Discovery Channel . . .places like this made note of the attacks, and people took some time to pause and consider. And there was, I think, token acknowledgement in the mainstream, particularly around athletic events and the like.

But, in general, I would say this day has gone by largely ignored.

Tell me, someone who would know, how long it took America to forget about December 7th. On December 7th, 1945, while in the midst of an ugly cleanup after a protracted and difficult war, did the day go by without a national acknowledgement?

Perhaps I am afflicted with a peculiarly strong cynicism tonight. I suppose I should take comfort in the words of America's greatest orator, who, also, saw his country through a divisive and bloody war:

It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain . . .

And so I will try to move forward, secure in the knowledge that this country has been through worse and survived. We have survived a Civil War, many assassinations of Presidents, the Great Depression, two World Wars, a Presidential resignation, the ignomy of the Iranian Hostage Crisis, 40 years of staring over a wall the nuclear warheads of the Russians, and many other crises, both manmade and natural.

It just seems that our collective impulse to retreat, apologize, and surrender is stronger than I can imagine it has ever been.

The impulse to speak, think and act like King Henry V has, once again, been replaced by our habit of speaking, thinking and acting like Prince Hamlet. And the King looks too much like Prince Hal; and Rosencrantz and Gildenstern are NOT dead.

In fact, they anchor their own Sunday morning talk shows. . .
Posted by: Michael / 9/11/2005 10:41:00 PM

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