Today is December 7, the
342nd day of 2020, so we have 24 days left to end this excruciating year.
But for some, today was among the most excruciating days in United States history.
Seventy-nine years ago today, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and upon this surprise attack, this country entered into World War II.
We had been on the outskirts of the war until then, but when this foreign power attacked us, we were thrust into the war.
I actually knew someone who was at Pearl Harbor on that fateful day as a member of the Army. Long deceased, he never spoke about that day, other than to say that he was there when the attack took place.
I am sure it was pure chaos there on that day, so what could this person actually say about it that we already knew?
Anyway, it appeared that once Pearl Harbor was attacked, all Americans—young and old—were on the same page about the war.
Everyone did their part to help us beat the Japanese and the Germans and the Axis powers.
Everyone did what they could, to the service members on the front lines to those at home. Even kids participated in the war effort, with things like paper drives.
My grandfather was too old to serve, but he was an air raid warden at home, running drills and making sure his neighbors were prepared for anything.
Everyone did what they could to help us win this war.
I wish we could all be on the same page for the current war against the coronavirus, but we aren’t.
Some people believe it is a real, tangible menace that must be eradicated; others believe it has been boosted I prominence for the sole issue of political gain.
Others are somewhere in the middle.
And they are all correct, and all wrong at the same time, which makes this war even more brutal than it has to be.
The coronavirus is real and tangible because it does exist, and it has put people in the hospital, and it has killed thousands of people.
And yes, it has been used for political gain by many of our legislators for political reasons. They have used massive double-talk to use this scourge to fit their personal and party agendas, fueled on by the media, which has been completely irresponsible in the reporting of the virus since day one.
And yes, some people buy into this thing hook, line and sinker, and some buy into it in a “sort of” manner.
When you are fighting an unseen enemy, we all need to be on the same page, but it is clear that we aren’t, and that is going to make this thing more difficult to whip, even with vaccines on the way to help us obliterate this thing once and for all.
With about five of every 10 people unwilling to take the vaccine at this juncture, and the need for at least seven of 10 to take this vaccine for it to work, we have a long road ahead of us to get back to our normal lives.
As it is, most Americans won’t be able to take the vaccine until the spring at the earliest, so we won’t even have any tangible results to see if the shots are working until the late fall.
And again, that is if 70 percent of our population gets the shot, which right now, is shooting very high.
So yes, I do think that most of 2021, if not all of it, is going to be another washout, because we really won’t get this thing under control, if all the pieces fall into place, by late 2021 or early 2022.
But at least the vaccine gives us hope, and although today, December 7, is a brutal day in our history, it is also a hopeful day, too.
Back in 1972, Apollo 17, the final moon landing mission in the program, was launched.
Although it was the final moon landing, all of civilization came together to watch that launch, and to wish its astronauts well in their mission.
Eugene Cernan, Harrison Schmidt and Ronald Evans knew the world was watching them, and cheering them on, and the mission went off without a hitch.
If only we could duplicated that exuberance with our battle against the coronavirus, we would be OK.
But I wonder if we can do that today, a day that historically has high highs and low lows, running from the attack on Pearl Harbor to the final Apollo moon mission.
There has to be a fit somewhere in between with our current mission of tacking the coronavirus into submission.
I would like to think that that middle ground would be reached when the vaccine starts its official roll out, and hopefully proves to be effective.
Let’s hope we can all get on the same page and whip this thing into oblivion.
But for some, today was among the most excruciating days in United States history.
Seventy-nine years ago today, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and upon this surprise attack, this country entered into World War II.
We had been on the outskirts of the war until then, but when this foreign power attacked us, we were thrust into the war.
I actually knew someone who was at Pearl Harbor on that fateful day as a member of the Army. Long deceased, he never spoke about that day, other than to say that he was there when the attack took place.
I am sure it was pure chaos there on that day, so what could this person actually say about it that we already knew?
Anyway, it appeared that once Pearl Harbor was attacked, all Americans—young and old—were on the same page about the war.
Everyone did their part to help us beat the Japanese and the Germans and the Axis powers.
Everyone did what they could, to the service members on the front lines to those at home. Even kids participated in the war effort, with things like paper drives.
My grandfather was too old to serve, but he was an air raid warden at home, running drills and making sure his neighbors were prepared for anything.
Everyone did what they could to help us win this war.
I wish we could all be on the same page for the current war against the coronavirus, but we aren’t.
Some people believe it is a real, tangible menace that must be eradicated; others believe it has been boosted I prominence for the sole issue of political gain.
Others are somewhere in the middle.
And they are all correct, and all wrong at the same time, which makes this war even more brutal than it has to be.
The coronavirus is real and tangible because it does exist, and it has put people in the hospital, and it has killed thousands of people.
And yes, it has been used for political gain by many of our legislators for political reasons. They have used massive double-talk to use this scourge to fit their personal and party agendas, fueled on by the media, which has been completely irresponsible in the reporting of the virus since day one.
And yes, some people buy into this thing hook, line and sinker, and some buy into it in a “sort of” manner.
When you are fighting an unseen enemy, we all need to be on the same page, but it is clear that we aren’t, and that is going to make this thing more difficult to whip, even with vaccines on the way to help us obliterate this thing once and for all.
With about five of every 10 people unwilling to take the vaccine at this juncture, and the need for at least seven of 10 to take this vaccine for it to work, we have a long road ahead of us to get back to our normal lives.
As it is, most Americans won’t be able to take the vaccine until the spring at the earliest, so we won’t even have any tangible results to see if the shots are working until the late fall.
And again, that is if 70 percent of our population gets the shot, which right now, is shooting very high.
So yes, I do think that most of 2021, if not all of it, is going to be another washout, because we really won’t get this thing under control, if all the pieces fall into place, by late 2021 or early 2022.
But at least the vaccine gives us hope, and although today, December 7, is a brutal day in our history, it is also a hopeful day, too.
Back in 1972, Apollo 17, the final moon landing mission in the program, was launched.
Although it was the final moon landing, all of civilization came together to watch that launch, and to wish its astronauts well in their mission.
Eugene Cernan, Harrison Schmidt and Ronald Evans knew the world was watching them, and cheering them on, and the mission went off without a hitch.
If only we could duplicated that exuberance with our battle against the coronavirus, we would be OK.
But I wonder if we can do that today, a day that historically has high highs and low lows, running from the attack on Pearl Harbor to the final Apollo moon mission.
There has to be a fit somewhere in between with our current mission of tacking the coronavirus into submission.
I would like to think that that middle ground would be reached when the vaccine starts its official roll out, and hopefully proves to be effective.
Let’s hope we can all get on the same page and whip this thing into oblivion.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.