I Think I Need a Sunrise, I'm Tired of the Sunset

Congratulations to Mr. Andrew Tuegel for correctly naming "Sparks" by Coldplay as the Sunday Song of the Day.

If you are a blogger, today just seems like one of those days where you feel obligated to post something simply because of the historical weight of the day itself. As I tried to gather my thoughts I went back and read what I wrote last year, and it seems that the usual method of approaching these mammoth historical events in retrospect is to trot out the whole "I remember where I was when [insert historical event here] happened." Since I did that last year, I feel the need to take a bit of a different tack this time around on the topic.

As I have been working my way through The Last Lion, Winston Spencer Churchill: Alone 1932-1940, I have been struck by a very interesting storyline that William Manchester highlights in describing Churchill's time in the political "wilderness". It seems hard to fathom in the beginning of the 21st century that many of the leading diplomats in Depression-era Europe believed that Nazi Germany, and Hitler in particular, were simply engaging in old-fashioned saber-rattling regarding rearmament after the Treaty of Versailles at the close of World War I, but time and again Manchester points out that Churchill was one of the only voices in England that would not be silenced regarding the potential danger presented by the Third Reich.

I'm not sure if there are any nations that are currently a perfect fit for the role played by Nazi Germany in the 1930's and 40's, but it does make me wonder what my children and grandchildren will regard as obvious in hindsight and marvel that we did not see the potential danger that could have been averted through vigilance.