A day that will go down in Infamy

I was not born when Roosevelt announced these words over the radio when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor but I was around for several other "days of Infamy" the assasinations of the Kennedy's, the death of countless young men in Viet Nam, the intensity of the Gulf War and the horror of 9/11.

It is only human nature to want an explanation, to want to sort things out and attempt to make sense of the senselessness. We turn to our family, our friends, and even strangers and ask, "Why"? Committees are formed, investigations undertaken, reports issued and still we ask, "Why?"

Sometimes there is no answer to the question. Sometimes there are so many answers that the one we are really seeking is lost in multitude. We taught with a man for many years whose son was lost in the Tower. The man and his wife were first told their son had survived, that he was in the hospital unconscious but alive. When our fellow teacher got to New York, they discovered it was not their son, but another young man to whom their son had given his wallet and his place on one of the last elevators down the tower before it fell. Why? Far too many answers to this and many other questions.

The sacrifices made by so many on that day were incredible and the sacrifices many continue to make seems never ending. This is probably why it bothers me so very much and makes me so very angry when our politicians use this "day of Infamy" to their own political ends. To me, this shows such a lack of compassion, such a lack of respect that will find it hard to vote for any of those doing this in any election...and I am keeping track, believe me. One vote can make a difference!