I've heard many comparisons of the World Trade Center attack with Pearl Harbor, the Japanese sneak attack on our primary naval base in the Pacific, but to this observer, the WTC attack corresponds more closely to Corregidor, the lost battle for the last bastion of American troops in the Phillipines, and the nadir of U.S. fortunes during WWII.

The first attack on U.S. troops by the Japanese actually ocurred in China - I believe it was 1937 - when Japanese planes attacked the navy riverboat USS Panay.

Without getting too bogged down in drawing these admittedly questionable parallels, I would submit that the main lesson which emerges from these events is that the United States was not prepared for Pearl Harbor, nor for WTC on 9/11, but should have been.

The warnings were there, the objectives of our foe were clear, and the first shots had already been fired.

I've also heard many ideas and suggestions for ways in which the United States could wage war against terrorism, Osama bin Laden, Afghanistan, the Taliban, and those nations which harbor terrorists. Almost none of these ideas seem likely to result in our desired objectives, in my opinion.

Rather, I suggest that our first steps in this effort should be defensive ones.

Before going on the offensive, we must shore up our defense and secure our base of operations so that we are not vulnerable to further sneak attacks which could be mounted on any or all of a number of fronts which might prove devastating to our infrastructure, our morale, and our citizens, including women and children.

We are an open society, and therefore vulnerable. I guesstimate that it might take months or even years to complete this stage of operations, and it might mean we will all be forced to give up favored comforts and even some of our freedoms.

I don't like it, but that's the way it is: only after our defense is secure should we consider going on the offensive.

Here are two excellent articles from the 9/19 edition of the LA Times. Note that in the second article, some military experts actually suggest taking the very actions which the Red Army vets in the first article have said will not work, while others are more cautious.

Afghanistan Like Nothing You've Seen, Soviet Vets Say

Defense Experts Worldwide Offer Advice

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