"Right after 9/11 there was a magazine with a cover of kids, mostly 12-14 year-olds, who were being trained for military combat. I thought that this had just gone too far"
- Eddie Bernice Johnson
About this Quote
In this quote, Eddie Bernice Johnson is assessing the after-effects of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. She mentions a publication cover that featured young children, specifically 12-14 year-olds, who were being trained for military combat. This image struck home with Johnson, as she believed it was a sign that things had actually gone too far. The concept of kids being prepared for war and violence was upsetting to her, and she likely saw it as a reflection of the extreme procedures being taken in response to the attacks. Johnson's words convey a sense of concern and perhaps even outrage at the effect of 9/11 on society and the lengths some wanted to go to in its after-effects.
"Developments in information technology and globalised media mean that the most powerful military in the history of the world can lose a war, not on the battlefield of dust and blood, but on the battlefield of world opinion"
"We cannot continue to rely only on our military in order to achieve the national security objectives that we've set. We've got to have a civilian national security force that's just as powerful, just as strong, just as well-funded"
"After a shooting spree, they always want to take the guns away from the people who didn't do it. I sure as hell wouldn't want to live in a society where the only people allowed guns are the police and the military"
"We shall listen, not lecture; learn, not threaten. We will enhance our safety by earning the respect of others and showing respect for them. In short, our foreign policy will rest on the traditional American values of restraint and empathy, not on military might"
"The later it gets the more disturbed the city becomes. I go with Albert through the streets. Men are standing in groups at every corner. Rumours are flying. It is said that the military have already fired on a procession of demonstrating workers"
"As costly as it was in the lives of our men and women in uniform, in military assets, and in esteem and pride, Pearl Harbor was a watershed moment for America"
