This Is Not an Attack, It Is a War

This Is Not an Attack, It Is a War

“This is going to be our Pearl Harbor moment, our 9/11 moment, only it’s not going to be localized. It’s going to be happening all over the country. And I want America to understand that.”
-- Jerome Adams, U.S. Surgeon General

I appreciate the sentiment here, and I think the Surgeon General is doing a great job. I also think he is right in making the point that this will be localized.

But, I do think he is wrong in comparing it to 9/11 and Pearl Harbor. They were indeed important, traumatic and difficult, but unlike this pandemic they were single events. This virus is not a single event and not a one day thing, especially if you want to emphasize the localized reality of it.

This is like the War on Terror more than 9/11 itself. The whole war stretching from the first World Trade Center bombing and the embassy bombings in Africa, through 9/11 and up to today. This won't last as long as the war on terror, which is good. It will be different because we won't really be able to got back to our daily routine in between attacks, threats, etc. The emphasis was to go back to normal but to be more aware and vigilant. This time will be under some form of lock down that makes major changes to our everyday life until this is over, and that could take months.

It is like World War II more than it is like Pearl Harbor. It won't last as long as the war did. That is one way in which it is better. It also won't be as deadly either in all likelihood. But it will kill average everyday Americans where they live like no war has since the Civil War has. It will also require more personally of every American than any war since World War II. Other wars since then haven't required rationing or significant changes in industrial production,. This will require those things, even if it is just rationing of medical supplies and the halt of much commercial manufacturing.

Unlike the war on terror, and unlike the American experience in World War II, this will take place locally on US soil. It will affect people where they live. And it will--because it is localized and because we are trying to slow the spread-- take place in different places at different times. This week may be the worst in New York City, but for other places the worst is yet to come in days, weeks or even months. For that reason, it is important to pay attention to what is going on locally where ever you are. Yes, what Washington DC is doing is important, but the decisions your state and local governments are making and when they are making them is what you needs to be paying attention to. It is a nation wide struggle that will take place at different times in different parts of the nation and coming out of it in the best shape possible means paying attention to it locally.