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<< I don't think this will be forgotten in a day or two or even a year or two...This has greater proportions than Pearl Harbor! >>
bull sh!t. This isn't a world war, and we're not trying to stay out of it. This hit close to home, but it still doesn't compare with pulling us into a world war where millions died. >>
Actually, the implication of this act is greater. It's the first time since the US became a superpower where we've been hit inside our North American borders and the second time in all of history(the first was during the war of 1812). If my history is off, correct me, but I'm pretty sure I'm close to the mark. Secondly, this was not a military installation. This strike wasn't meant to cripple our military so we'd be poised to strike. This attack was against US citizens. Think of it this way, if we won a major battle or eliminated a fortified military installation, it's usually accorded as a victory. If we walked the streets of baghdad and started machine gunning down women, children, and whatnot, that's an atrocity.
If Pearl Harbor went unchecked, we'd simply be seen as cowardly people who are only concerned with their own internal affairs and fold easily. If this goes unheeded, it signals that we are vulnerable at the core. We can be hurt and that, for all our posturing and meddling, it puts huge emphasis on the fact that we are not invincible. Pearl Harbor was a greater tragedy, but it's impact is nowhere near what this act is.
PS - You have to remember, we were supplying goods, munitions, and other shipments of miscellaneous items to the Allied powers long before pearl harbor. That's why the Germans built the Bismarck battle ship, to counter these shipments. In a way, we were already in the war, just not sending any people over.