A Date Which Will Live In Infamy

People tend to look forward and backward in time and expect the unreasonable. Humanity looks forward and often realizes that it had not a clue afterward. Likewise we look backward and expect every single major momentous period in history and expect that it matches the present like a glove. Too often than not it ends up fitting much like O.J.'s did. Yet who should we acquit? Every time a professional sports team wins a championship the announcers begin asking the question, "are team x the greatest team of all time?" No, they are a team that slugged through a mediocre year and were the last sorry lots standing. Every team is not the '90's Bulls, or the Red Wings, the Yankees or the Steelers. Just as every dark and despicable human being on the planet that happens to have a tenuous hold on some bass akward shithole the next Hitler. This is not the great depression. Today marks the anniversary of the attacks on Pearl Harbor that started American involvement in World War II. It being a historical day, it brings to mind the most wretched of historical clinches, that those who don't know history are doomed to repeat it. Anyone who doesn't know history is a moron, but the only thing they are doomed to is the future. We as a species do some predictable things that could be construed with a pattern. We do find wonderful ways to hate each other. I believe it was Dennis Leary that said something to the effect of, "Northern Ireland proves, that even without black people around, white people will find a reason to kill someone." But by and large it doesn't repeat itself. The French built the Maginot Line to fight World War I again, and the Germans flew over it and drove around it. To compare current conflicts to World War II denigrates the memory of the thousands of people who died in that conflict. It also denigrates the brave men and women that have volunteered to serve at the pleasure of the President in the current conflict in Iraq. They are just as brave but their respective conflicts and enemies are far from similar. Comparisons are only valid if they are in sports. And that is why I see so many similarities to this year's BSC Championship game between Florida and Ohio State and The Fiesta Bowl win for OSU against Miami years ago. Although the tables are turned. Now everybody thinks that there is no way that OSU can lose to this team from Florida. So therefore history proves that Florida will win. Take that to the bank. But they will just look at you at the bank like you where trying to exchange Euros or something.

In all seriousness, take a moment to remember some of the brave men that died that December morning in Hawaii.