I was on a message board last night, and someone had posted a Pearl Harbor memorial thread; some commenter thought this was a random act, given it happened 66 years ago.
We are our memories, and those who lost their lives that day deserve to be remembered, as if they were the loss of our own family members. They were fellow citizens, who lived to defend our nation. And died for it.
Is it too much to ask Americans to take at least one day out of the year to remember? Or are we so ready to “move on” and to “forget” the day that should live on in the hearts and minds of all Americans, as a day of infamy?
Now, in what sense did we appease Japan, or take a position of weakness towards them? In the year leading up to the attack on Pearl Harbor, we initiated a trade embargo (in conjunction with Great Britain), convinced the Dutch to stop selling them oil, increased our aid to the Chinese, and sent various military ships into the waters near Japan. I think it would be hard to make the case that war with Japan came about because we took too weak a line. Their imperial ambitions were too strong to be deterred by anything short of actual war.
bbartlog: If you are interested in getting a most comprehensive instruction in the lessons of history from the man who actually made that history I would recommend reading Winston Churchill’s History of the Second World War.
The work, which won the Nobel Prize for Literature back when that meant something, will also give you some insight into today.
We were woefully unprepared for WW2 and while we did make some efforts to contain Japan and Germany, we were hamstrung by the same America First crowd (Dr. Seuss has some excellent cartoons that illustrate this) that is still so active today promoting the foolish ideology of appeasement and isolation through candidates like your pal Ron Paul.
As I just posted elsewhere, in recognition of “National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day”.
I’d like to redraw FA reader attention to Scott Malensek’s excellent video.
weakness and appeasement kill!
Now, in what sense did we appease Japan, or take a position of weakness towards them? In the year leading up to the attack on Pearl Harbor, we initiated a trade embargo (in conjunction with Great Britain), convinced the Dutch to stop selling them oil, increased our aid to the Chinese, and sent various military ships into the waters near Japan. I think it would be hard to make the case that war with Japan came about because we took too weak a line. Their imperial ambitions were too strong to be deterred by anything short of actual war.
bbartlog: If you are interested in getting a most comprehensive instruction in the lessons of history from the man who actually made that history I would recommend reading Winston Churchill’s History of the Second World War.
It’s about $75 on Amazon.com. At about 5,000 pages with appedices it will take you a while to get through, but after reading it you will have shared a direct insight from the man who was so very, VERY right about the dangers we faced during the 30′s and through all of WW2.
The work, which won the Nobel Prize for Literature back when that meant something, will also give you some insight into today.
We were woefully unprepared for WW2 and while we did make some efforts to contain Japan and Germany, we were hamstrung by the same America First crowd (Dr. Seuss has some excellent cartoons that illustrate this) that is still so active today promoting the foolish ideology of appeasement and isolation through candidates like your pal Ron Paul.
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=hAxPrftI0mE
History repeats its self…