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Since I have been slow in writing lately I have been welcoming guestwriters to this space. The below piece is particularly well said.


DO WE NOT LEARN FROM HISTORY?
Turgeis
Son of Hakkon
Squire to Syr Forgal

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As my birthday approaches, December 7th, Pearl Harbor day, I looked at my calendar and saw the following quote:

�No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory. I believe I interpret the will of the Congress and or the people when I assert that we will not only defend ourselves to the uttermost but will make very certain that this form of treachery shall never endanger us again.� - President Franklin D. Roosevelt

Not since that time has this country seen such an act of violence. Then came September 11th, 2001. For nearly 60 years we lived in relative safety within our boarders. As time went on, the nation became stronger, but in that strength came complacency. For the first few decades following WWII, and with the nuclear arms race, our comfort level in the nation�s security came slowly and gradually. I submit this was due in part to the traditional means by which people received information (newspapers, radio, etc). Additionally, the flow of information was at a considerably slower rate as compared to today�s information superhighways. I would also submit that while the media�s desire to be first to get the story and present it to the public, technology constraints allowed for more time to prevent erroneous information to get out. If new information presented it self, which significantly impacted the story, the �presses�, could be stopped for corrections and rewrites. The transfer of information to the public was limited to local and national sources.

Today, anyone can log on to the Internet and instantly obtain information from anywhere on the planet. This has several effects associated with it. Not the least of which being wrong information is passed more readily than ever before. It seems very obvious that the Internet has been a huge source of bad information. Example: �STOLEN UPS UNIFORMS on EBAY!!!� This story, which has been proven false several times, won�t go away. Every few months I get an email warning of terrorists who have purchased 10�s of thousands of UPS uniforms. A story that never made national media, had no basis in fact, survives like a roach in a nuclear blast.

But I digress. My point is, as more information is shoved down our throats, our memory of 9-11 grows more distant. We have more information to process, from more sources than ever before. Because of that, the media feels even more pressure to produce products faster to beat the competition. So naturally, less time is spent verifying the facts. Remember when Dan Rather announced Al Gore won Florida? Now the attitude is �get it out, we�ll fix it later. If anyone notices�.

The media also has vest amounts of sources to draw from as well, therefore presenting an issue and then moving on to the next topic. (i.e. Lacy Peterson) If you just asked yourself �Who�s Lacy Peterson?� then I have made my point. If you have never done so, I would challenge you to find an online news service of another country, any country. Many of them publish in English. During the course of my duties, I have kept taps on Middle Eastern news services and it is very interesting to read their perspective on many subjects.

I believe FDR spoke truly from his heart, as has GWB on the subject of national security. But the leadership of a nation can only do so much. It is therefore incumbent upon the people to remember and not lose sight of the harsh and deadly lessons of the past. On December 7th, 1941 and September 11th, 2001, our country was attacked and shaken to the very core of its being. It took 60 years between the events for the opportunity to present itself. How long will it take until we have become complacent again and forget the lessons history has presented to us?

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� colin-g 2001-2003