December 7, 1941, was the last time a sovereign nation attacked the United States. That was the day Japan attacked the United States fleet at Pearl Harbor and thrust America into World War II. Since then, we have endured a few terrorist attacks including the attack on September 11, 2001, and, most recently, the attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6th by the MAGA army incited by Trump but, by and large, the institutions and foundations of American democracy have stood firmly against all assaults. We are now under an assault that could prove to be the most damaging of all.
American democracy is now under assault from within with the help from adversarial nations who are not using bombs, missiles and soldiers but are simply using electronic communications filled with misinformation. The re-election of Trump and his appointees composed of billionaires and universally incompetent, but telegenic and loyal gadflies, will prove to be far more corrosive, destructive and effective at dismantling American institutions than any typical war waged by a hostile nation.
President Putin and President Xi and all the other heads of countries that are viewed as America’s primary enemies don’t need to waste any bombs, missiles, or soldiers lives to achieve what they have dreamed of for decades – the weakening and destruction of American power and leadership in the world. They simply need to pull up a chair, sit back and watch the train wreck happen. If you think this is preposterous, perhaps we should all be watching Russian TV which is gloating over Trump’s victory and the circus of clowns being elevated to jobs for which they have zero qualifications and, in some cases, questionable loyalty to the United States.
Eighty-three years ago, when Japan attacked and declared war on the United States, the country rallied together to fight Japan in the Pacific and Hitler in Europe to preserve democracy and the American ‘way of life.’ Sadly, today half the country has seen fit to elect a man who is the complete antithesis of what the soldiers and the American people fought to preserve in WWII. He has promised to abridge freedoms rather than expand them. He has promised a campaign of retribution and revenge. He has promised to resurrect the use of internment camps for mass deportations like the shameful use of internment camps to house Japanese American citizens solely because of their ancestry.
In some ways we have come full circle. But this time, instead of a nation that is united in trying to preserve and fight for the democratic ideals upon which this country was based as was the case after the attack on Dec. 7, 1941, we are a deeply divided nation so consumed with internal fights spurred on by tsunamis of misinformation propagated by people who will benefit financially and politically by the weakening of the government that America is more at risk now than it was in 1941.
Many people would disagree with that statement. However, the frog swimming in the pot continued to believe everything was just fine until the water began to boil – and then it was too late to save himself. Trump and his sycophants will begin to turn up the heat on January 20, 2025. Let us hope, enough Americans realize what is happening before democracy dies in the MAGA kitchen using the Project 2025 cookbook.
FDR famously said December 7, 1941, was a ‘day that will live in infamy.’ I believe January 20th, 2025, is another day that will live in infamy. Let us hope the sacrifices of all the people who fought in World War II were not in vain.
