A dangerous attack

Today is December 7.

For anyone with just a little knowledge about this country, that is a significant date. On December 7, 1941, the Japanese staged a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. President Franklin Roosevelt immediately declared that a state of war existed with Japan. He famously called December 7, a day that would live in infamy.

It has.

The American response was swift. Thousands of Americans went to recruiting offices the next day to enlist in the military. The American economy was quickly transformed to meet wartime needs.

The attack on Pearl Harbor was a shock to the country. Although tensions between the two countries had been growing, the attack caught America off guard. The shock was quickly replaced by action.

Today, another assault, and one that may still be continuing, threatens the country. It may be a more fundamental attack than even Pearl Harbor or the attack on the Twin Towers on September 11, 2001. This is the “meddling” in our election process. Our intelligence agencies have all but definitively declared that Russia was responsible for hacking, discrimination of false news and other actions that interfered with the election process.

The impact may never be known, but one thing is for sure, our reaction has not been swift or decisive. Little shock was registered with the revelations. No sense of urgency exists. Congress, the President and, worst of all, the general citizenry have not expressed undo concern. In fact, judgement about the intrusions seems more along party lines than national security lines.

If nothing else, an assault on the very foundation of our democracy occurred. The complacency is astounding. It is not the response one would expect. What should have been a situation of swift decisions and immediate self protection is bogged down and has resulted in word upon word and little action. It doesn’t help that the FBI and other intelligence apparatus are criticized and diminished.

This assault on the electoral process of the nation is more threatening than other dangers we hear so much about today. It may not be as dramatic as bombs bursting, but the damage to the country could be far more serious. It is a dangerous attack.

The free and fair selection of our leaders, at every level of government, cannot be toyed with or impeded. Voting is a sacred right and responsibility of Americans. Unless the attack on it is taken more seriously and more urgently, the nation could lose everything. Once that happens, there will be no fighting back.

Gordon Forgey

Publisher