Much concern has been aired in the media about bloodthirsty attitudes of Americans. Apparently, we want our soldiers' lives to be preserved, our enemies killed, and we don't care very much about foreign civilian casualties.
Now, I don't see how this is at all unexpected. The United States is a nation, much like any other. (Americans like me are likely to believe that it's better than most.) A nation is a group; and when a group is threatened, it responds in a predictable way.
We are not above hating our enemies. We are not above disregarding the lives of the innocent. We know how to hate, and we know how to make war. And in the recent history of the world, we have made war better than anyone else on earth. Perhaps it's because World War II was so long ago; and perhaps it's because Korea, Vietnam, and the first Gulf War were small and far away, but everyone has forgotten this fact. The hand-wringers among us have forgotten; the Europeans, our erstwhile allies, have forgotten; and most of all, our enemies have forgotten this one simple fact:
The last time an enemy started a war with an attack on the soil of the United States, we ended that war by detonating two nuclear devices on the soil of that enemy.
Addendum:
I am not trying to take a position in the debate over whether the U.S. was right to use atomic weapons in Japan. I merely point out that the U.S. has a history of using brutal violence gainst its enemies with the full approval of the U.S. public.
(The use of atomic weapons was wildly popular in 1945. Even today, most Americans appear to approve of the decision -- 1999 Gallup poll: Americans over 50 approve, under 30 disapprove; results not available at press time).
Oscar, our little white male cat (little only in comparison to the 18-lb. hulk that is Dizzy) returned this morning around 5:00 AM after an absence of nearly 48 hours. We're keeping him in now.