Operation AXIOM
"The shot heard 'round the world," the Battles of Lexington & Concord that opened the Revolutionary War, was fired two hundred thirty-five years ago to the day. At the time, nearly every inch of the earth was reigned over by a crowned warlord of one title or another, be he a king, emperor, sultan, shogun, prince, or chief. Today, nearly every nation-state is presided over by a president, of greater or lesser democratic legitimacy, dependent on local conditions. More progress toward building a world based on justice and prosperity has been made in the last two and a third centuries than in the preceding five millennia, and 'twas all touched off by the courageous stand against the redcoats by the minutemen at Lexington & Concord. Remember with gratitude and awe the events of 19 April 1775, and above all else take today to cherish the freedom that was bought at an almost unbearable price in blood over the last two hundred thirty-five years.

The Oklahoma City bombing, an act of incomprehensible terror until it was overshadowed by 9/11 six years later, was perpetrated fifteen years ago to the day. The history of the world is one long, seemingly unending nightmare of war, poverty, famine, and injustice; so, yes, the loss of one hundred eight-six souls at the Murrah Federal Building pales in comparison to the crushing of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, the then-contemporary Rwandan Genocide, or a thousand thousand other examples of barbarity and horror. But I was fifteen years-old when Timothy McVeigh unleashed his monstrous evil, safe and secure in an America that had defeated Communism and was still dizzy from our heady triumph in the Gulf War; I believe I should be forgiven for being more shocked and frightened by Oklahoma City than by, say, a fait accompli like the Sack of Madgeburg. 1995 feels like it was a lifetime ago, yet I still recall clearly learning the news of that 19 April. We prevail over terrorism when we refuse to forget those who were murdered, but also refuse to allow their murderers to dictate our actions.